


The Wounded Warrior

by LadyKeane



Series: The Wounded Warrior [1]
Category: Powerpuff Girls, Samurai Jack (Cartoon)
Genre: (not the girls), Angst With A Bittersweet Ending, Crossover, Implied/Referenced Abuse, M/M, a bit of horror, a bit of romance, a few biblical allusions, a sprinkling of weeb nihongo, aku is a nasty mofo, also him-centric, and comparisons drawn between certain square-jawed hunks, and some surprise cameos in chapter 7, blossom-centric, the girls will (mostly) be okay i promise
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-03
Updated: 2019-04-27
Packaged: 2019-11-08 11:44:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 9
Words: 21,996
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17980700
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyKeane/pseuds/LadyKeane
Summary: A shape-shifting beast visits the city of Townsville, determined to destroy the Powerpuff Girls. He is quickly followed by a warrior wielding a magic sword.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [teacupballerina](https://archiveofourown.org/users/teacupballerina/gifts).



> This is for my friend teacupballerina, who is amazing and brilliant. Go check out her own Powerpuff Girls/Samurai Jack crossover here (based on the IDW comic 'Super Secret Crisis War'):  
> http://cnwol.tumblr.com/post/132125273326
> 
> This is a reworking of a story I wrote way back in 2002, during my callow girlhood. It's one of those old stories that I hold a lot of affection for, especially considering it launched about a million headcanons which teacup and I have both enjoyed toying with.  
> While I still love the general mythos of it, the prose in the original version sucked big time. I have attempted here to give this story the telling it deserves.
> 
> PLEASE NOTE that this story was originally written toward the end of PPG season 4, so I would say that would be the 'divergence point' from the show's universe. (No resurrected RRB, etc). A few minor elements from the later seasons have been added to the story in retrospect (such as the girls' uncle Eugene), but mostly seasons 5-6 have been consciously disregarded.  
> As for SJ, this story fits quite neatly somewhere in amongst seasons 1-4, and season 5 is still considered as fully canon in this universe.  
> No relation to the PPG reboot at all, soz.
> 
> New chapters once a week on Sunday morning (Eastern Aus. time).
> 
> Also, the people referenced in the prologue are the Puyallup tribe of the US Pacific Northwest. I can imagine them surviving and persevering unker Aku's yoke. I use their tribe and language in this story with no disrespect. Their website is here: http://www.puyallup-tribe.com/

**THE WOUNDED WARRIOR**  
  
**PROLOGUE**  
  
The river had burst its banks. The forest trail was a deluge of rocks and mud. Relying on the tenuous grip provided by his wooden sandals and aching hands, Jack pushed on.  
The local people had referred to this mountain as the Mother of Waters. They had advised against going to find the witch who dwelled within its caverns. Jack had stayed in their village for one single night. Despite their continued offerings of a warm bed and fresh salmon, he set out towards the mountain at first light, following the river upstream. If the rumours of the witch's ability to cast time portals were true, then his arduous journey could soon be at an end.  
  
Branches caught on his dirty, waterlogged robe. With every step along the steep incline, he fought against the push of the winds and the relentless wall of rain. His muscles burned with the effort. A fallen log caught his foot, and he tripped into a dirty puddle.  
  
He dragged himself up against a tree trunk, and some small clumps of hardy red wildflowers caught his attention. Also, the steady stream of a gurgling waterfall was now discernable, underneath the roar of the rainstorm. According to the advice of the village elders, these signposts meant he was on the right track.  
  
The waterfall was not large; a cascade that sluiced over an outcrop of volcanic rock. Jack removed his robe and waded carefully out towards it, moving sideways across the furious current. One hand seized at the slippery black rocks, the other clutched his sword to his side. Eventually he reached the base of the waterfall, and heaved himself underneath the curtain of water.  
  
It was warm and dry in here. After the noise of the rain, the silence was jarring. The glow of phosphorescent moss allowed Jack to carefully manouver through the cave. He breathed the air, savouring its unusual purity. Some archaic magic was definitely at work within this mountain.  
  
Eventually the path descended sharply. As he clambered downwards, Jack endeavoured to avoid slipping on the pebbles and the moss. By his reckoning, the daylight outside would be long gone by now. At the points in the path where the moss failed to grow, the cool, gentle werelight of his sword provided guidance. Even hidden in its scabbard, it was bright enough to chase off the hazardous dark.  
  
The aroma of brewing tea caught Jack's attention. His pace picked up, and as he rounded a corner, he came upon an eerie blue light dancing upon the walls.  
Crackling blue flames were blazing in a high-ceilinged chamber at the edge of an underground lake. There, crouching by a cauldron, the witch hummed a formless tune to herself. As Jack warily approached, she spoke: _'Haʔł sləx̌il,_ warrior.'  
  
He bowed deeply. 'Please excuse my intrusion, madame. I thank you for your hospitality. It has been a long journey to reach you.'  
She poured out some of the brew from her cauldron, and waddled over to her visitor to offer it. Her eyes were milky with cataracts. 'I saw you coming, a long time beforehand.'  
Jack sipped at the tea, and addressed her again. 'I have been told that you have the power to create portals in time. I humbly beg for your help. I come from a land that has been ravaged by a beast of merciless evil. Thanks to his wizardry, I have been flung about time and space like a castaway. It is my intention to find a way home and defeat him.'  
  
As he made his case, the witch shuffled away, absently stirring her tea and scratching her armpit. When no reply was forthcoming, Jack tried again: 'I know how impertinent it is to ask this favour. But if you do have the power to transport others through time, it is for the sake of my people that-'  
'There are some who say that The Great Spirit weaves but one repetitive, predetermined thread of fate. This is a delusion of the simple-minded.'  
  
Jack was silenced, and watched as she poured a cup of the tea for herself.  
'The Great Spirit is forever weaving, unravelling and recreating a great tapestry of complex, interwoven patterns... The Web of Life. How the Spirit weaves this Web is affected by all the creatures that live upon it.'  
  
She chugged the tea in one great gulp, and then gestured for Jack to finish his own cup. As he did, she lifted the cauldron from its perch, and without fanfare, dumped the remaining tea straight into the lake.  
'Your fate is not yet sealed, warrior. The choices you make can potentially give birth to triumph, despair, or variations of both. What you do from now will make its mark on many worlds, and affect your fellow creatures in ways you cannot even begin to imagine. Choose wisely. Whatever you do to others on the Web, you will inevitably do to yourself.'  
'Does that mean you can send me back to my own time?'  
She clutched at his arm with a gnarled, long-nailed hand, and drew him over to the water's edge.  
'I can do no less and no more than send you to the very time and place that you are needed most, and the time and place that you most need to be.'  
'I do not understand.'  
'May the Great Spirit look kindly upon your path.'  
She pushed him into the black depths of the lake.  
  
***  
  
The sting of water in his lungs awoke him. Bright light danced across the lake surface. Gasping and flailing, Jack eventually reached the shore.  
  
As he regained his bearings, he recognised the warmth of the sun on his back and the soft grass beneath him. The rustle of breeze through treetops reached his ears. This was soon joined by the barking of a dog and children at play.  
  
He shakily got to his feet, locating his sword in a patch of reeds. The air here was mild, the day bright and pleasant. He had emerged not from the underground lake, but from a pond at the centre of a landscaped park. He spotted the children he had heard before, healthy and cheerful, chasing after a ball with their dog. A nearby wooden sign was rendered in both English and Japanese: 'Welcome to Bonsai Gardens Park - The green jewel of Townsville!'  
  
He wandered through the park gates, onto the paved streets: rows of neat townhouses and glass-and-concrete towers. Hordes of pedestrians in tailored clothing gave the under-dressed, sword-wielding vagrant a wide berth and some uneasy glances. They all seemed to be in a terrible rush to be somewhere.  
This beautiful place had clearly never been touched by Aku.  
  
Jack dropped down on a nearby bench. All of his recent exertions caught up with him in one crushing rush of dismay. Another dead end.  
Why had the witch insisted he was needed here? This place boasted the sort of freedom and prosperity that the worlds ensared by Aku's tyranny could only dream of. The citizens' only immediate source of agitation was the appearance of the errant warrior himself.  
  
_But maybe,_ said a tranquil whisper in Jack's mind, _if this place doesn't require your help, there could be someone here who will help_ you.  
Perhaps, if Jack was lucky, this dazzling, bustling city held the secret to hunting down Aku and destroying him once and for all.  
He would follow this thread of fate, and figure out why on earth he was supposed to be here. He rose, and continued down the busy road.


	2. Chapter 2

'Ima... gawa.'  
' _Yokatta_ , Bubbles. Do you know what these characters mean?'  
Blossom's hand shot straight up. 'I know, Baa-chan! _Ima_ means "now". Its _onyomi_ reading is _kon_.'  
Michiko Utonium smiled at her granddaughter. 'Indeed it is, my dear. And what does it mean in this context?'  
Blossom racked her brain. 'Um... I know _gawa_ means "river"...'

'Imagawa is the name of my family line,' Michiko said. 'We were once a proud clan of landowners in feudal Japan.' She held up a large hardcover book, revealing a vivid classical painting of a samurai warrior in full ceremonial armour. 'Our ancestors were favoured by the shogun, and held a high rank within his domain.'  
'Does that mean that we're princesses?' Bubbles gushed.  
'Did everyone in the family get swords like that?' Buttercup asked, her eyes fixed on the painting.

'You know,' said Sam, as he began clearing dishes from the table, 'I should teach you girls about my side of the family some time. My great-great- _Nonno_ Antonio Utonium was a scientist, just like your daddy. He even worked with Luigi Galvani, and was rumoured to be a guest at the Villa _Diodati_ party, with Lord Byron and the Shelleys. Handsome devil too, all told.'  
The Professor smirked over his cup of rosehip tea. 'He didn't get a cool sword though, did he, Dad?' He ruffled Buttercup's hair before rising from his seat. 'Who wants to help Grandpa with the dishes?'  
'I will, Professor!' Blossom bounced up and promptly began gathering cutlery and flatware.

The Utoniums were enjoying a Saturday lunch over Sam and Michiko's dining table, in the cozy Tokyo Townsville apartment that the Professor had grown up in. The afternoon had been wiled away sharing stories, drawn from both the family's current daily lives and memories of times past. Sam and Michiko had gleefully imparted all sorts of family history to their granddaughters: everything from their first meeting in a Tokyo marketplace during Sam's tour of duty, to the roughousing that their two precocious sons liked to inflict on each other in childhood.  
Given the daring, demanding, dangerous lives that his children led, the Professor was glad to provide them with moments of normalcy like this.

'Pretty cool how you're descended from actual nobility, huh?' Blossom said while scrubbing at the plates. 'I had no idea.'  
The Professor chuckled as he cling-wrapped the leftover onigiri and arancini. 'And a pretty lively bunch they were, too. They were appointed masters of ceremony during the shogunate, and they claimed descent from the original Emperors of Japan. Of course, a lot of those older yarns are little more than fairy tales. Your grandmother used to tell them to Eugene and I as bedtime stories. Stuff about wandering princes and magic swords and fiery beasts. But if Bubbles asks, then we're all princesses, okay?' He delivered a spry wink to his daughter.

Blossom stared down into the murky dishwater, and a frown clouded her face.  
'But - we're not really princesses, right?'  
'Well, I suppose not, but-'  
'I mean that all of these stories of your ancestry, it's not really our ancestry, is it? Bubbles, Buttercup and I? We're just... Chemical X. Not real Utoniums.'  
A heavy sigh escaped the Professor. 'Honey...'

Before he could offer any sort of comfort, a cracking boom resounded out in the street. The frantic cries of the townspeople and the shuddering aftershocks were more than enough of a beacon for the girls. In perfect tandem, they dashed from the apartment and flew out into the city.  
Blossom rose to the top of the skyline, all the better to survey the trouble. She tried to discern the source of the explosion, but could see little more than patches of broken glass and mobs of panicked citizens. Just as she began descending to find her sisters, a large, dense shadow blocked out the sun behind her.  
She turned, only for her entire field of vision to be engulfed by pure darkness.

'Bubbles! Buttercup!' Her call was met by its own pitful echo.  
Her pulse thundered in her ears. Every direction she flew in resulted only in the same endless darkness. She could not see her hand in front of her face.  
Blossom inhaled shakily, attempting to rein in her panic. With nothing to lose, she tried firing a volley of her ice breath at the gloom. Instantly she felt a biting, paralysing cold hit her.  
It took her a few long moments to recover from this shock. She tried again, this time using her laser eyes. She was scorched with an excruciating blaze of heat. Reeling and weakened, she curled in on herself, squeezing shut her unseeing eyes.

The distant sound of Buttercup's agonised screams stirred her into action once more. Blossom rushed forth, coming upon the clamour of her sister throwing punches and kicks in the dark. Judging by the sound of hard blows hitting soft flesh, and the broken tone of her shouts, Blossom had no doubt that Buttercup's strikes were landing on her own body.  
'Buttercup, stop! Somehow this darkness is turning our own powers against us!'  
She relented, rattling with hard, pained breaths. 'Where's Bubbles?'

Blossom pealed her ears. Distantly, she began to make out Bubbles' tremendous, frightened sobs. She groped for Buttercup's hand, and once she found it, hauled them both towards the distressing sound.  
'Bubbles! Bubbles, we're here!' Blossom shouted, zooming towards the cries. As soon as she got close, Bubbles' voice fell into the far distance again, whisked away by some unknown force.  
Far beneath them, a deep roar rose up, echoing around the void with ear-splitting force:  
'HELLO, GIRLS.'

Before she coud react, Blossom's entire body was swiftly immobilised. Her limbs were stone, she could not scream.  
A violent quaking overtook the dark space. Stark streaks of daylight started piercing the void, falling upon the sisters. Bubbles and Buttercup had likewise been seized, their bodies held tight by thick black cords. The city reappeared, and the blackness began to reshape itself into a huge figure, standing against the sky.  
The black cords were in fact tentacles. The beast was gigantic, rivalling the tallest towers of the city. Tree-trunk arms ended in sharp black claws. A crown of horns adorned the head. A huge red beard and great flaming eyebrows. And most arresting of all, a pair of searing black eyes that showed no pity.

Despite her immobility, Blossom redoubled her attempts to escape. Frigid sweat trickled down her searing brow, and her heartbeat hammered in her chest. The tentacle holding her did not budge.  
The beast examined her. 'YOU WISH TO RETALIATE. I COULD ALMOST ADMIRE YOUR FIGHTING SPIRIT, WERE IT NOT AN AFFRONT TO MY POWER.'  
As he mocked her, Blossom felt hot, heavy tears escape her eyes.  
'IT IS TIME FOR ME TO FINISH WHAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN FINISHED AGES AGO.'  
He lifted a razor claw, aiming it directly at the girl's chest.  
'You shall not harm them, Aku!'  
The beast whirled around to find the person who had issued this demand. Standing on a nearby rooftop was a man bearing a gleaming katana sword, a look of dogged conviction in his eyes, and a very familiar face.

The man's presence seemed to smite the beast with the same dread that he'd just inflicted on the girls. 'YOU!!'  
The beast's grip on his captives slackened, and he barely noticed them wriggling free.  
'I have been searching for the reason I was brought to this grand city. Now I know that it is to protect it from you!' The man unsheathed his sword, and charged towards the beast with a powerful stride.  
The beast nimbly dodged his blow and struck back by swiping at the man with his claws. The girls watched this skirmish, astounded.  
'We should help him!' cried Bubbles.

The moment they swooped down to the man's aid, he was tripped up; the beast whipped a tentacle out and bound his legs. His sword flew from his hands, but was caught mid-air by a quick-thinking Buttercup. The tentacle squeezed the man's legs like a boa constrictor. The beast lay a vicious gash into his stomach, ripping a few chunks of skin from his torso.  
The warrior writhed in pain on the cement rooftop, and the odour of burning flesh emanated from where the beast had him bound.  
'FOOLISH SAMURAI. I WAS ONLY PLANNING ON KILLING THESE THREE LITTLE FREAKS TODAY. THANKS TO YOUR SAD ATTEMPT AT HEROICS, I BELIEVE I SHALL BE ADDING A FOURTH VICTIM TO MY QUARRY.'  
A claw came down to stab at the man's heart, and it was wildly hacked at by a katana-wielding Buttercup.  
'Get your filthy tentacles off him!'

A frantic, guttural screech escaped from the beast. In the place the sword had struck, the substance of his body had smouldered away like burnt paper. He stumbled back, clutching at his injury with his good claw. The warrior was freed from his grasp.  
The beast collected himself, and shot a look of venom at the girls.  
'THIS IS NOT OVER. YOU MAY BE ABLE TO PLAY WITH THAT SWORD, BUT ONLY THOSE OF THE SAMURAI'S BLOOD CAN TRULY DESTROY ME WITH IT. AS SOON AS HE HAS LEFT YOUR SIDE, I WILL BE BACK FOR MY VENGEANCE.'  
In a gargantuan swell of green flame, the beast disappeared. A heavy cloud of charcoal smoke unfurled in his wake

The girls scurried to the side of the man. His wiry form lay limp upon the rooftop. The burns on his legs and the cuts on his stomach looked severe, but they did not appear to be threatening his life.  
Bubbles peered closely at the stranger's face. 'Professor?'  
'This isn't the Professor, dummy. He just looks like him,' Buttercup snapped back.  
Blossom took charge. 'Girls. He's out cold, and he's hurt. We need to take him to the hospital. Buttercup, don't let that sword out of your sight.'  
'Aye-aye,' she groaned, replacing the weapon in its sheath and grasping it close.

Blossom and Bubbles lifted the man skywards, taking care not to agitate his wounds. As they took off for the hospital, Blossom's gaze was caught by a strange sight: on a nearby rooftop, just behind a billboard, a puff of shimmering pink smoke quickly bloomed and diffused like a withering flower. She reasoned that it must have been a trick of the light, and concentrated on bearing her charge.

***

Warm, muddied oblivion was slowly broken up by a hushed stream of voices. Dull pain throbbed through Jack's core.  
'...Before we jump to any grand conclusions, we should at least have a DNA test conducted.'  
'Do as you like, son. But I am telling you, he is one of our own!'  
'Does this mean we have another uncle now, Baa-chan?'  
Jack fought off the pull of his slumber. As he stirred, he found himself being gazed at by a pair of cherry blossom eyes.  
'Hey look, he's awake!'

He was laid out in bed, in a cramped white room. Three small girls bustled about at his bedside. And when they launched into the air to float effortlessly above him, he jerked back in astonishment.  
'Hi, I'm Bubbles! What's your name?'  
'Where did you come from?'  
'Your sword is really cool.'  
'Alright, that's enough. Give him some air, girls!'  
The three children obeyed, floating further back across the room with their astonishing magic.

The man who had issued this paternal command was equally startling. Jack took in his features: his solid jawline, strong brow, and keen, pensive eyes. This well-known face was worn by light worry lines, putting the personal trials and troubles of its owner's past on display. If Jack had not known better, he could swear he was looking into some kind of enchanted mirror.

'Welcome back,' the man said gently. 'I'm Professor Utonium. You were rescued by my daughters after your fight with that beast. The doctors told us that you sustained some serious injuries. You should heal fully, but you will be off your feet for a good long while.'  
'Your daughters rescued me?' Jack echoed, as he watched the childrens' aerial hovering.  
'I'm Blossom!'  
'Bubbles!'  
'Buttercup!'  
'We're the Powerpuff Girls!'  
'And we fight bad guys, just like you!'

'You are fortunate that the girls were the ones to come to your aid,' said the other person in the room, a silver-haired woman who also held a resemblance to the Professor. She sat softly upon the bedside. ' _Hajimemashite_. My name is Michiko Utonium. I am so pleased to have come across another Imagawa.'  
A burst of delight eased the ache in Jack's body. 'You are Imagawa! I have not come across a single member of my family since I first left my homeland.'  
'Which branch are you?' Michiko asked him. 'Are you Nagoya? Machida? I also have cousins living in Narusawa...'  
'I am the son of Emperor Imagawa Kamu-Yamato Tennou. My homeland has been ravaged by the most wicked demon to ever blight the earth: a powerful beast named Aku, who banished me to a bleak and tyrannical future. He can manipulate time, space, and even the shape of his own corrupt flesh for his bidding. I have spent many years searching for a way home in order to hunt him down.'

Inelegant silence pervaded the room.  
'The emperor, you say?' The Professor asked.  
Jack nodded diligently. 'I must return to the past and destroy Aku with the sacred sword given to me by my father. Only an Imagawa wielding the sword has the power to truly slay the great evil.'  
The Professor gave Jack a brief, uneasy grin, then pulled Michiko aside.  
'If he knows the myth of The Prince and The Akuma, then chances are, we're related. But he's not right in the head. Maybe the blow from his fall affected him somehow. Do you think we should get another specialist in here?'  
'Son... don't you think that there is a chance he may be telling the-'  
'You mean this sword?'  
Buttercup had pulled out the sword she'd collected from the battle, and was gleefully swinging it around her head.  
'Put that down, young lady!'  
'Please do as your father says. It was forged by the Gods and is irreplacable.'

As Buttercup slid the weapon back in its scabbard, Blossom reflected on what had transpired earlier.  
'You know... that monster was able to overpower us very quickly. But as soon as he was struck by the sword, he became helpless. He probably would have won, if it weren't for...'  
She looked to her rescuer.  
'People call me Jack,' he told her with a smile.  
'If it weren't for Jack!'  
The Professor examined Jack, still amazed by the face that was so like his own.  
'You saved my girls.'  
Again, Jack nodded.  
'Do you need a place to stay?'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Japanese terms:
> 
> Yokatta (よかった) - 'that was good'
> 
> Baa-chan (ばあちゃん) - Familiar form of 'grandmother' (お祖母さん), similar to 'granny' or 'nanna'.
> 
> Onyomi (and kunyomi) readings (音読み / 訓読み) - the Kanji script in Japanese language originates in China. Onyomi is the reading of a character in the Chinese way, and kunyomi is the reading in the native Japanese way. (eg 人 (person) can be read as 'jin' (onyomi) or 'hito' (kunyomi).
> 
> Imagawa (今川) - The name I have chosen for Jack's family line, lit. translation is 'this river'. The Imagawas were actually a real military clan in ancient Japan, a branch of the Minamoto clan (the name bestowed on the Imperial family). Please note I have also taken out a metric crapton of artistic licence in creating their back-story.
> 
> Hajimemashite (はじめまして) - The ubiquitous greeting used when meeting someone for the first time. Lit. translation is 'we begin'.
> 
> Imagawa Kamu-Yamato Tennou (今川神倭天皇) - The title I have given Jack's father. 'Kamu-Yamato' (神倭) is taken from Empror Jimmu, the mythical first Emperor of Japan. 'Yamato' (倭) is an archaic name for Japan itself. 'Tennou' (天皇) means 'heavenly sovreign', and is a title given to the Emperor.


	3. Chapter 3

Time had no power in the Pit of Hate.  
Of course, one could bring a clock into the infernal sanctuary, but the ticking of its hands would represent nothing real. The sunrise never came, flowers never withered, and the passing moments bled into each other as one endless, unbearable limbo.  
In this place of unreal suspension, it required great power and even greater focus to render any real change.  
  
The lair's long-suffering drudges - ghouls and golems, mostly - quaked in the course of their duties, as they bore their master's fury.  
'I ALMOST HAD THEM. I COULD HAVE GROUND THEIR BONES TO DUST. BUT AT THE VERY MOMENT OF VICTORY, THAT IDIOT SAMURAI BLUNDERED HIS WAY INTO THE BATTLE.'  
'Hold still,' urged a softer, daintier voice at Aku's side.  
'I TRIED TO TURN THE SITUATION TO MY FAVOUR. I DELIVERED A MIGHTY ATTACK. HE WILL BE FEELING THOSE WOUNDS FOR WEEKS TO COME.'  
'So will you, if you don't let me do this properly.'  
'AND THEN THE LITTLE GREEN CHILD CAME AT ME WITH THE SWORD. THAT DAMNED BLADE - EVEN A SMALL GASH LIKE THIS ONE STINGS LIKE A-'  
'I told you: those girls are way tougher than they look!'  
  
Slumped on his throne, Aku was holding his injured claw aloft. It was encircled by ribbons of sparkling pink light, which gradually knitted the rended flesh back together. The source of this healing spell was a scarlet imp with feline eyes, perched elegantly by Aku's side. While the rest of his form was sleek and refined, in place of his hands were a pair of large, grotesque pincers. However, even with these ungainly appendages, the imp's gestures were precise and delicate as he tended to his master.  
  
He was arguably Aku's most prized creation, known and celebrated all throughout the demon's empire. The raw material in the Pit of Hate had been not been fine enough to produce this being, so Aku had stolen light from the morning star to craft him. What he had brought to life was a powerful, clever, and beautiful servant who acted as a nurse, concubine, and formidable soldier.  
In spite of this, Aku had not gifted his prized attendant with a name. When the citizens of Townsville had first encountered the imp, they had fallen back on the superstitions of Western religion and assumed the worst. The only title that the creature bore was a banal epithet, 'Him'.  
  
'As you well know, Master, I've used every trick in the book to try and defeat them. Not even their own worst nightmares coming to life can overpower them. And Jackie-boy's just come to town, conveniently to their rescue... surely you can see my point by now? Anyway, compared to some of your other conquests, Townsville is very meagre pickings. It really isn't worth the bother-'  
The pink light of the healing spell vanished, as Aku used his injured claw to smack Him down to the ground. The attending ghouls and golems froze like prey animals.  
Him did not meet his master's gaze.  
  
'HOW DARE YOU TRY TO LECTURE ME ON WHAT I SHOULD AND SHOULD NOT CHOOSE TO ACQUIRE. YOU OWE ME THE VERY BREATH IN YOUR BODY. I GIVE YOU A SIMPLE TASK - KILL THOSE GIRLS - AND YOU DISAPPOINT ME! THE POWERS I GAVE YOU COULD LEVEL ENTIRE WORLDS, AND STILL YOU SQUANDER THEM ON FAILURE AFTER FAILURE!'  
Aku wrenched a jagged stalactite from the walls and hurled it at a group of unfortunate golems, who were halfway through setting out a high tea spread.  
  
He leant down next to Him, and grabbed the imp's chin in his claw. Sulfur breath was huffed in his face.  
'I WILL SUCCEED AT THE TASK WHICH YOU FORSOOK. THOSE GIRLS ARE NOT FULLY PROTECTED. THE SAMURAI WILL HAVE TO SLEEP SOMETIME.'  
Aku threw Him to the ground once more, and turned away to head for his private chambers.  
'NOW CLEAN UP THAT MESS.'  
'Yes, Master.'  
  
Him struggled to his feet, and cleared away smashed crockery and ruined pastries, before reviving several crushed golems.  
  
***  
  
This place called Townsville was comforting and suprising, in turns. Jack had been ferried out of the hospital with the greatest of care, transferred from a wheelchair to the backseat of an opulent white vehicle. As the Professor drove them through the city streets, the girls squirmed about next to Jack.  
  
Buttercup pointed out a ruined building, currently flanked by scaffolding and construction workers. 'That's where I brought down Mojo's giant robot mosquito last week!'  
'Don't you mean "we"?' Bubbles challenged. 'That thing would have smashed you if I hadn't gotten it with my atomic citronella scream!'  
  
At length, he found himself clad in a fluffy white bathrobe, and nestled upon a blanket-laden sofa in the Utoniums' sitting room. Enticing cooking aromas wafted in from the kitchen, as the girls lolled about on the carpet at his feet. Typical of their age, they were bursting with questions.  
  
'Baa-chan said that you're a prince from a fairy tale,' Bubbles said. 'Do you sing songs about kissing sleeping princesses?'  
Buttercup scoffed. 'Naw, Bubble-head, Jack is too cool for that. I bet you he slays dragons and fights evil wizards and stuff, yeah?'  
'Why did that monster come after us?' Blossom asked him soberly.  
  
'I do not yet know. I can only assume that he wishes to conquer your city. He already has a great many worlds under his command, and I would hate to see this fine place fall prey to him. I believe my mission here is to fight him off, and ensure that you are permanently protected from him.' Jack looked down the length of his damaged, bandaged body. The round of painkillers he had been given was wearing off, and the vicious ache of Aku's attack was starting to make itself known again.  
  
'We can help you!' Buttercup declared. 'This Aku guy isn't the first dummy to try and take over Townsville. We've beaten heaps of monsters before.'  
'But nothing like this,' Blossom said. 'He seemed to know exactly how to overpower us. What if Jack hadn't been there today?'  
Buttercup could not find an answer to this.  
  
'Okay girls, dinner's almost ready. Time to go wash up,' came the hail of the Professor.  
As they scooted off to the bathroom, he drew the coffee table over to the sofa and began setting places for the meal. 'Normally I insist the girls eat at the table, but tonight we can make an exception. I hope they haven't been bothering you too much.'  
Jack was silent, watching the motions of his lookalike as he set down generous bowls of salad and pasta. The Professor finished laying out the feast, and parked himself in a nearby armchair. Jack finally rallied his thoughts.  
  
'I understand that your girls use their powers to protect the city from its enemies. They must be great warriors, for ones so young. But I have been tracking Aku down for years, and I have seen many other great warriors go up against him and perish. Sometimes in the most awful ways.'  
The Professor's easy smile fell from his face.  
'I mean no disrespect,' Jack continued, 'but please heed my warning. Aku is not merely some crude animal, relying on brute force to randomly destroy. He is connected to some of the darkest forces in the universe. I only hope he doesn't try to prey on your children again. He would not be merciful.'  
  
Blossom stood at the doorway to the sitting room. Her heart was frozen in her chest. The memory of that dreadful darkness welled up in her mind. Despite all the hard battles she had fought in her short life, nothing compared to the distress of her and her sisters being bound by immovable black tentacles, as a razor claw dangled above her chest.  
Jack spoke again. 'Even so, I will do everything in my power to ensure that Aku is banished from your world.'  
  
'Outta the way, Red, I'm starving.'  
'Yay, Professor made spaghetti!'  
'I hope he didn't skimp on the cheese.'  
Blossom was bowled over as the other girls stampeded towards the meal awaiting them. The group settled into the familiar comfort of family dinnertime, sharing heaping portions of food and casual chatter. As Bubbles and Buttercup bickered over the parmesan, a loud, wet, gratuitous slurping drowned out all other sounds in the room.

Jack had utilised two butter knives as makeshift chopsticks, and had lifted his bowl of spaghetti to his face, eagerly vacuuming up reams of saucy pasta.  
Bubbles chanced a snicker, and Blossom quickly admonished her. 'Don't laugh, Bubbles. In Japan, it's considered good manners to slurp your noodles.'  
Buttercup's face lit up. She instantly started wolfing down her noodles again, zealously sucking up each strand with an awesome discord of gluttonous relish.  
'Buttercup...' the Professor drawled. The girl fell silent, and grinned sheepishly through a half-chewed mouthful.  
'You call that slurping? Let me show you how it's done.'  
To his children's delight, the Professor swirled an impossibly large amount of pasta onto his fork, shoved the top end in his mouth and inhaled it with the impetuosity of someone a fraction of his age.  
Jack and the girls giggled at this performance and soon followed suit, returning to a very noisy meal.  
  
***  
  
One by one, the lights in the Utonium household were turned off.  
The Professor returned to the sitting room. Jack was still settled on the sofa, bathed in lamplight and lost in thought.  
'I was going to prepare some rosehip tea for a nightcap. Would you like me to bring you a cup?'  
'No, thank you.'  
The Professor's attention was caught by a glint from the corner of his eye. The sword, resting in its sheath, was propped up by the stone fireplace. He looked to Jack. 'May I?'  
The warrior afforded him a small smile. 'Please.'  
  
He picked up the beautiful weapon and slowly drew it forth from its scabbard. The blade's perfect sheen had him spellbound. 'This is the real deal... and it's so light...' he trailed careful arcs in the air.

'I have been thinking...' Jack said. 'It is very likely that Aku will return to Townsville before my injuries have healed. He will want to strike while I am weak. Only a person of Imagawa blood can truly defeat him... I humbly propose that I teach you how to use the sword. Therefore, while I am still unable to fight, we will still have some form of defence against his onslaught.'  
The Professor lowered the blade. 'I'm not exactly samurai material. I don't know the first thing about real swordplay. Wouldn't it be better to track down a relative of mine who can-'  
'It must be you.'  
  
The Professor examined Jack. Despite his earnest nature and brave deeds, the scientist was still having trouble accepting that the whole Prince and Akuma story was true. For all he knew, Jack could be a distant cousin of his with delusions of grandeur, pitting himself against one of the usual half-witted thugs from Monster Island.  
'I still believe in my girls. They have what it takes to beat this foe.'  
Jack sighed. 'I wish I could say the same.'  
  
***  
  
Blossom watched the ceiling. A wayward moth crawled across it. Intermittent headlights from passing cars in the street outside cast fleeting, blinding beams. The moth fluttered its wings in useless agitation.  
In the hall, the Professor's slow, slippered footfalls trod towards his bedroom, and the last light in the house was clicked off.  
Her sisters beside her lay in a deep, easy slumber, as she measured her breaths. The clock on the nightstand showed that it was well over two hours since their father had kissed them goodnight. Sleep was still unreachable.  
  
A mass of speculations jostled their way to the front of her mind. This beast named Aku had promised he would return. Could they anticipate when? Would they have enough time for Jack to prepare them for what was to come? The beast had been injured, surely he would stay away until he had healed. What if he overpowered the girls again, and neither Jack nor the Professor could do anything to help?  
The blanket was far too warm. She tossed it off, clammy and fitful, and turned onto her side. 11.59pm.  
She unwillingly remembered Jack's warning: 'I only hope he doesn't try to prey on your children again. He would not be merciful.'  
  
The quiet was ruptured by a piercing, screaming wind above them. Bubbles and Buttercup were roused from sleep, only to witness a spectral whirlpool snake its way into existence, right over the bed. Gruesome black tentacles shot out of its centre, and lunged to grasp the girls.  
  
They dodged the blows like darting sparrows, until Bubbles was ensnared by her leg. Buttercup stunned the tentacle with her laser eyes. This was not enough to damage the unnatural flesh, but it spasmed, and Bubbles flew free.  
The door slammed open, the Professor had come running. 'Girls!'  
'Go get Jack's sword,' Blossom instructed, as she knocked back a swipe from a particularly large tentacle.  
The skirmish continued as he raced downstairs, and Blossom prayed that the girls' agility and stamina would hold out. The seconds ticked by, and the hideous limbs did not tire. The girls dodged and parried their attacks as best they could.  
'Hit the centre!' Blossom hollered.  
'What?' Bubbles hollered back.  
'Hit the centre with your laser eyes!'  
  
Just as their father returned with the sword, the girls struck the core of the whirlpool with six scorching laser beams. Every last tentacle thrashed about wildly, and after a few relentless moments of this onslaught, they fell limp, dangling in the air like vines.  
The Professor drew the girls away from the lifeless clump. 'What is that thing!?'  
'Isn't it obvious?' Blossom replied, her voice shaking. 'Aku is targeting us, and we can't let our guard down for a second!'  
'But...'  
'All those fairy tales Baa-chan told you, about the prince and the sword and the monster, it's all true!'  
He released the girls, and picked up the sword once more. 'In the story, the sword is the only weapon that the Akuma is ever afraid of.'  
'At least that means we have some kinda way to hold him off,' Buttercup said.  
'I just hope he doesn't come back until Jack gets better,' Bubbles added.  
Behind them, unnoticed, the tentacles began twitching.  
  
Blossom managed to compose herself. 'We can't count on that. We should start formulating a defence strategy with Jack right away. There should be some form of rotating watch, with two people per shift bearing the sword. And Jack can educate us on Aku's manner of-'  
Before anyone realised what was happening, the recovered tentacles rose into the air. In an instant, they snatched up the unsuspecting Blossom. The Professor attempted to draw the sword and hack at the appendages, but he moved too slowly. Within an instant, they shot back into the spiralling vortex and dissolved into nothingness. Blossom was taken with them.


	4. Chapter 4

Just like most nights, the Otto Time Diner was completely bereft of customers.  
Diana Ross thumped out of the jukebox, while the late night news played mutely on the wall-mounted television. Him wiped at the already spotless soda glasses with a dish towel, simply to occupy himself. His eyes were locked upon the city streets outside.

Some time ago, the imp had asked Aku for permission to set up his own outpost in Townsville. He had been surprised that the tyrant welcomed the idea. Him found a vacant commerical lot that had been put up for sale, on the corner of Lincoln and Main. This just so happened to be the very point in Townsville where more than a dozen ley lines intersected. When Him came to inspect the property, he could veritably smell the magical energies thrumming in the air.

He had chosen to adorn the place like a nineteen-fifties ice cream parlour, with checkerboard flooring and candy coloured upholstery. Given the wide glass windows and the central location, the diner was the perfect vantage point to see the goings-on of the city; particularly the girls' frequent rumbles with monsters and criminals.  
But despite these points of interest, the diner's erratic hours and unworldly proprietor had deterred most of the citizens, and Him's customers were few and far between.  
He was perfectly content with this. It was a relief to have a place that he could truly call his own, far from the Pit of Hate.

Now, Aku's last fibre of patience had been burned away. His vow to kill the Powerpuff Girls had sparked a vigilance in Him that was greater than before. The imp had watched the girls for almost their entire lives, but the stakes had just been raised severely.  
Knowing Aku's penchant for theatrics, Him reasoned that the great brute would coax the girls to a showdown in the heart of the city. There, he could force as many citizens as possible to bear witness to his might. Him had spent the entire evening watching, waiting for his master's first move. So far nothing had happened.  
Aku was an impatient creature, and it was unlike him to bide his time like this. The clock in the corner of the TV news ticker read 11.59pm.  
Deep in his bones, Him knew that something was not right.

He turned off the televison and the jukebox. He locked the doors, switched the window sign to 'closed', and fled back to the Pit of Hate.

***

Flames burned fiercely in the Pit. The ghouls and golems were whipped into a frenzy as their master appeared. Their screeching died down as Aku addressed them:  
'I HAVE THE LEADER. SHE WILL DO FOR NOW. I WILL KILL THE OTHERS AS I CATCH THEM.'  
The little girl in his clutches took in the hellscape before her: the monsters crowded around in this hot chamber of stone and fire, and at the centre stood a grim black altar. The beast's claws were pressed over her mouth, stifling her impulse to scream. As she was carried towards the altar, the clamour of the mob ravaged her ears. She could hardly breathe, hardly think. The prospect of her own death was nowhere near as horrifying as what was to precede it.

He thrust her down upon the monument, undisguised bloodlust in his eyes.  
'RED CHILD. YOU TRULY BELIEVE THAT YOU ARE POWERFUL? THAT YOU CAN PROTECT YOUR PALTRY LITTLE HOME? YOU KNOW NOTHING OF TRUE POWER. ONCE YOUR FAMILY IS DESTROYED, I WILL CLAIM THAT PATHETIC TOWN AS PART OF MY GLORIOUS EMPIRE. BUT FIRST, I INTEND TO BURN THE PRIDE OUT OF YOU...'  
One of his tentacles rose, slowly morphing into a sharp and devestating spike. He poised it over Blossom, and the howling of the crowd reached a crescendo.

Just as Aku plunged his weapon downwards, a swift swoop of pink smoke swept the child away, out of the demon's reach.  
High above the altar, Blossom now found herself clutched in the arms of a scarlet imp with feline eyes.  
'Don't you dare touch her!'

The astonishment on Aku's face quickly morphed into rage.  
'TRAITOR! YOU WILL RETURN THE GIRL TO ME!'  
'Over my dead body,' Him snarled, 'I've played this charade long enough!'  
Deep grievance filled Aku's eyes.  
'YOU WERE PERFECT TIL INIQUITY WAS FOUND IN YOU.'

The spiked tentacle was hurled upwards. Before it could strike its target, the two escapees vanished in the air. Pink sparkles rained upon the disorder below.

***

Bubbles had long since cried herself to sleep, her arms clasped about the Professor's neck. With his free hand, the man mechanically poured himself another cup of tea. The habitual act was helping him to keep it together.

As dawn approached, the sky outside paled to periwinkle blue. The morning star shone bright. If only it could grant the man's desperate wishing, and fulfil the raw, excruciating need to see his Blossom again.

Jack sat still on the sofa like a mourning _bodhisattva._ Earlier, he had sadly surmised that there was nothing they could do. Buttercup had railed against this, insisting on mounting a rescue. She had spent hours searching the Townsville skies, her green light trail casting haphazard flashes across the heavens. Now she lay on the carpet, silent and drained.  
More helpless tears spilled from the Professor's puffy, darkened eyes.

As a burst of pink smoke erupted in the sitting room, the astonished family braced themselves, dreading what new horror it would bring.  
'She's okay, but she's shaken. She needs you.'  
Him held the quivering Blossom out to the Professor. The child collapsed into his arms, burying herself in the comfort of both her father and her sister.

'YOU!' Buttercup screamed, quickly ennervated, grabbing Him by his fluffy collar. 'GIVE ME ONE GOOD REASON WHY I SHOULDN'T-'  
'No, Buttercup!' Blossom's voice cracked. 'Him just saved my life!'  
He was dropped to the carpet below, and Buttercup stared down at him with not a little suspicion. 'What are you playing at? If you've teamed up with that Aku jerk-'  
'Hardly. On the contrary, my dear, Aku and I have just had something of a falling out.'  
'It's true!' Blossom insisted. 'Aku intended to kill me. After I was rescued, he called Him a traitor and then tried to attack us.'

Jack broke his hours-long silence. 'This creature has performed a task of great valour in rescuing Blossom. He at least deserves the chance to plead his case. If he has immediate knowledge of Aku's plans, he may prove to be a powerful ally.'  
The Professor sat down on the sofa, his girls still in his arms. 'Why don't you give us your understanding of this mess, Him?'  
He had not moved from his position on the carpet. With a huff, he met the family's collective gaze.  
'Alright. I guess it was foolish of me to think that I could keep the truth from you forever.'

'Aku is my master. He has the ability to watch over many worlds at once, including this one. He set his sights on Townsville a long time ago. It has nothing to do with the city itself, and everything to do with the many monsters and villains attacking it... or should I say, their perennial failure to defeat the three girls protecting it. The great oaf's convinced himself that he can do a better job. So now he's fixated on trying to annexe Townsville to his empire. I can't tell you how tickled I am to see that Jack has shown up. Even with your injury, you've just made his job a whole lot harder.'

'Even moreso now, considering that you have just turned away from your master,' The Professor said to Him.  
'And why did you?' Blossom asked.  
Him released a deep breath, and a tiredness emerged in his eyes. 'I just couldn't pretend anymore.'  
'Pretend what?' demanded Buttercup.  
'When Aku first coveted Townsville... he sent me out to kill you girls.'  
'And you never did,' Blossom murmured, and a sudden realisation brightened her eyes. 'All this time... you were _protecting_ us from Aku.'

Buttercup crossed her arms. 'Oh, come on! He's evil! He attacks us! The monsters and the tricks and stuff!'  
Him grimaced weakly. 'I knew I was living on borrowed time. I thought I could strengthen you, by giving you challenges that would build up your powers and your self-confidence. If you got strong enough, and I had feigned defeat enough times, I hoped it would discourage Aku from wanting to come for you himself. In the meantime, it still looked as if I were obeying his commands, however poorly.'

Buttercup's interrogation continued. 'What about when you joined the Beat-Alls? You attacked us with acidic spit!'  
'Oh, you mean this?' and Him promptly fired the ethereal substance directly at Buttercup. Instead of writhing in agony, the girl slackened, perplexed as the pink plasma engulfed her. Him ceased the surge, and Buttercup shook it off.  
'How did that feel?' the Professor asked.  
'Kinda warm and tingly...'  
'It served as a buffer, to make sure you weren't injured too badly by the Beat-Alls' other attacks,' Him explained.  
Buttercup was still not done. 'But what about the time we travelled into the future where you had taken over Townsville!?'  
Him hung his head. 'I have to apologise. That creepy future thing was an illusion I cast on you. Mojo had just acquired a particularly powerful device from an infamous arms dealer... I had to make sure you girls stayed in Townsville that weekend, to rein him in.'  
Bubbles piped up. 'Hey, wasn't that the Saturday when we destroyed Mojo's new "sonic screwdriver", or whatever that thing was called?'

'So it was tough love,' said Blossom.  
Butttercup scowled. 'Alright, whatever. But I still say he's the ultimate evil. Don't expect me to be surprised when he betrays us all, and makes everything even worse.' She turned and floated towards the kitchen. 'I'm getting breakfast.'  
Jack looked to Him with an entirely different expression. 'Thank you for your bravery. If you truly wish to see Aku's plans foiled, then I extend my support.'  
The Professor nodded in accord. 'You are welcome here.'  
Unsure what to do with such gratitude, Him looked to his feet. 'Thank you. I suppose I can start being useful by casting a concealing spell over the house. It'll stop the big idiot from being able to watch us.'  
'You can do that?' Jack asked.  
Him grinned. 'Among other things.'

***

While his daughters munched away on cereal, toast and fruit, the Professor saw to the mess they had left in the kitchen.  
He eavesdropped as Jack told the girls about one of his altercations with Aku. As the warrior recalled details of a cursed graveyard and an army of undead soliders, the Professor recognised exactly what story this was. His mother had told it to him in boyhood - it ended with the Akuma attempting to kill the Prince with his own sword. Of course, the hallowed weapon could not harm the innocent, and the Prince had ultimately prevailed.

He was glad that this tale was being passed down to his offspring, from the very person who had lived it. He had no further doubts about who Jack really was.  
The last twenty-four hours had brought revelation after revelation crashing down, and it had left the Professor with a new resolve. It was heart-rending to see what that beast had done to his brilliant Blossom, her usual aplomb stripped away, usurped by deep morbid fright. His obligations from this point forth were clear.

He entered the sitting room, and bowed deeply to Jack.  
'Ancestor... I respectfully agree to learn how to wield your sword. I will not allow my children to be put in danger again.'  
Bubbles toasted her father with a tub of strawberry yoghurt. 'Alright, Professor!'  
Jack responded with a seated bow of his own.  
'Even given the dangers we face, and the wound which has weakened me, it has lightened my heart to discover that my bloodline has endured for so long.'  
'My mother told me that the Prince ultimately slayed the Akuma, and returned to his homeland to rule as Emperor,' the Professor replied.  
Jack smiled wanly. 'I can only hope that such a happy ending proves to be true.'

'So when will you start training?' asked Blossom.  
Jack addressed them all. 'It has been a long and difficult night. I suggest we rest, and we can begin once you are refreshed.'  
'But what if Aku comes back?' said Bubbles. 'One of us has to stay awake!'  
'One of us will.' The warrior cast his eyes out the window. In the back garden, Him was hard at work, diffusing gossamer streams of light over the house.

Instead of returning to bed, the girls grabbed pillows and blankets, bunking down at Jack's feet.  
The Professor ventured out to the yard. Him sailed softly in the air, still casting veils of light across the boundaries of the man's home. The monstrous claws twirled about with finesse, and the lithe, long-legged form undulated with them. After all of the stress and the sorrow, this beautiful dance was restful to look upon.  
Eventually, he descended to the ground.

'There, that should hold for a while. It should stop Aku from watching us or even setting foot in here. Unfortunately, the rest of Townsville is still fair game. I'm afraid that I can't-'  
'You love my girls.' The Professor willed Him to meet his gaze.  
The imp was almost coy in response. 'Can you blame me? I see so much of myself in them. Extraordinary creatures, born from an extraordinary creator. Even with all the games I devise for them, I could never bring myself to ever truly harm the little tots.'  
The Professor answered by wrapping his arms about Him, and pressing a heated kiss to the shapely painted lips.

Him's head swam, and the Professor breathed. 'I knew it. I knew you weren't the devil that you claimed to be. Why else would this... _this_... have carried on for so long between us?'  
The imp's joyful laughter was pure music. 'As always, John, I'm astounded by your insight.'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bodhisattva is a Buddhist who is on the path to achieving enlightenment through compassion. Statues of bodhisattvas in repose are ubiquitous throughout Asia, [including Japan (where they are known as Bosatsu (菩薩 )](https://www.nsu-japan.com/2018/01/sad-truth-jizo-bosatsu-statues/)
> 
> The confrontation between Aku and Him references William Blake's [Satan In His Original Glory](https://www.tate.org.uk/art/images/work/N/N05/N05892_10.jpg)


	5. Chapter 5

_Some months earlier:_  
  
Professor John Utonium was many things. A teacher, an inventor, a board member of the Honeydew Institute of Bioengineering and Robotics at Townsville University. A father of three spirited and immeasurably precious little girls.  
But right now, he was late.  
  
The family had slept in. Managing to wake the girls, feed them breakfast, and dress them for the day had been a feat of superhuman strength and speed. He kissed them goodbye, and heaved a sigh of relief as their light trails zoomed off in the direction of Pokey Oaks Kindergarten.  
The marked exams for his undergrad class still lay in a messy pile on his desk. He stuffed them into his bag with the lesson plan and dashed out the door, glad that he remembered his keys this time.  
  
Ten minutes later saw him sitting in traffic. Pangs of hunger and caffeine withdrawal now reminded the Professor that he had skipped breakfast.  
This gridlock would not be letting up any time soon. He gave it up and stopped outside the first cafe he could find. 'The Otto Time Diner'. Was that name some sort of pop culture in-joke?  
He flung open the glass doors, and stopped in his tracks.  
  
It was hard to know what to make of this tableau. A cutesy retro joint decked out in pink and red. Helen Shapiro warbling away on the jukebox. And behind the counter, draped in lace and ruffles, the Ultimate Evil of Townsville.  
'Why, Professor Utonium! Welcome to my little establishment.' The imp batted his long eyelashes.  
'Is this some sort of trick, Him?'  
The response was a tinkling peal of laughter. 'Oh, I see. You think I'm luring you in here for... nefarious purposes. I'm afraid the only wickedness I can offer you right now is my dessert menu. Do you like cherry chocolate cheesecake?'  
  
The Professor shook off the sudden heat in his face. He had the option to obey his higher reasoning and stop at a drive-through somewhere, but somehow that felt like a cop out. He might as well find out what Him was cooking up.  
'Do you offer breakfast to go?'  
  
Back in the traffic jam, he tore the Coco-Chanel-pink paper off his pita wrap, desperate to fill his empty stomach. He took a large bite, and almost swooned behind the wheel.  
This was the most delicious thing he'd ever tasted. Maybe it was the creature's supernatural powers, or maybe he had simply bribed the best culinary wholesalers in Townsville to supply him with their freshest goods. Forget villainy, Him could enthral multitudes with delicacies like this. The cappucino, too, was impeccable.  
  
As the Professor sat in traffic, savouring his scrumptious meal, a Helen Shapiro classic began on the radio:  
  
_Please don't look at me with hungry lips_  
_No no no_  
_Please don't say the sweet things that you say_  
_Because I get carried away_

 _And then I'm not not not responsible_  
_I can't answer for the things I do_  
_I said I'm not not not responsible_  
_'Cause I'm so in love with you_  
  
The following afternoon, after a particularly dull board meeting at Honeydew Institute of Bioengineering and Robotics, the Professor found himself slinking back to the same diner.  
'I need a bit of a pick-me-up... that cherry chocolate cheesecake of yours sounds good.'  
  
***  
  
Him reflexively cleaned the countertop as he spoke. The scent of lemongrass disinfectant slowly filled the diner.  
'...Oh, Mojo's an idiot, really. He can engineer giant ray guns, but can't remember a simple ignition sequence. It's as if there's not enough space left in that massive brain of his to hold the important day-to-day things. He could barely run a dishwasher, much less an entire city.'

The Professor downed the last of his rosehip tea. 'Back when he was my foster charge, he spent most of his time breaking things and swinging from the cabinets.'  
'You could bill him for the damages,' Him joked. 'But you know who really should be head of this town? That Sara Bellum. She's cool-headed, diplomatic, and has killer fashion sense. I hope the Mayor is prepping her to be his successor.'  
'As long as he's not just teaching her the ins and outs of pickle fancying.'  
Him giggled, and refreshed his patron's empty cup of tea. 'On the house.'

As the Professor sipped at the steaming brew, his eyes drifted to the bustling weekday foot traffic outside. 'You know, I don't think I've ever seen another customer come in here.'  
Him pulled a face. 'My reputation tends to... faze people.'  
'Well, brainwashing everyone in the city will do that.'  
'That was _one_ time!'  
'Come to think of it... you could've had all of us do your bidding permanently, and overthrown Townsville yourself, if you'd wanted to. Why did you surrender so easily?'  
Him took a moment to respond. 'Your girls are just that powerful, I guess. Anyway, the season premiere of "Sex and the City" was on that night.'  
The Professor laughed heartily.  
  
***  
  
A day of rowdy lectures, tedious paperwork and misplaced house keys had done its work on the Professor; he was a worn-out bundle of stress and snark. The need to sit and recharge pressed on him. As he dragged himself across the university campus, he checked his watch - the girls' playdate was not due to finish for another hour. Oh, providence.  
In a secret corner of his mind, the Professor allowed himself to look forward to the sight of that pretty elfin face, the sound of that tinkling laugh.  
  
He entered the Otto Time Diner to find Him throttling a scruffy teenaged boy.  
'If you lay one more finger on me, you little-'  
The imp's screed was halted by the sight of the Professor, who offered a weak smile.  
A mess of broken plates lay at their feet. Four other boys cowered from a nearby booth.  
  
'Ace Copular,' said the Professor, 'I haven't seen you since the last rehearsal of the Pokey Oaks Choral Society.'  
'Hi Professor,' Ace huffed, his collar still in the grip of Him's claws.  
'You know, I see quite a lot of your truant officer, Jack Wednesday. Why, just yesterday, we bumped into each other at Malph's. Had a nice chat, mostly about the benefits of romaine lettuce over iceberg. I don't think he'd be pleased to know that you've been disturbing the peace in a fine establishment like this.'  
Ace looked like he wanted to sink into the floor. The other boys snickered from the booth.  
'It would be a shame if you were booted from the Choral Society, we have so few tenors as it is.'  
This was the perfect reagent, panic shot across Ace's expression. 'No, please, I'll be good!'  
'Excellent. You boys best run along now.'  
  
The Gangreen Gang skulked their way out of the diner, mercilessly taunting Ace about his choral fancy. Him looked at the Professor like he had hung the moon.  
'That punk tagged my car the other week. I think it was because I beat him out to sing Alfredo's part in our "La Traviata" medley. What happened here?'  
'They stormed in demanding burgers and soda,' Him said. 'Ace tripped me up while I was carrying a stack of flatware. I demanded an apology, and instead I got pinched on the butt.'  
The Professor's eyes narrowed. 'I'll tell the girls not to go easy, the next time they run into him.' He knelt down and began gathering the shards of broken porcelain.  
'What are you doing?' Him tried shooing the man, grabbing a broom and dustpan to take over.  
'It's the least I can do,' he insisted, and the two cleared the mess together.  
  
The Professor went to deposit the shrapnel in a garbage can behind the counter, but nicked his finger on one of the jagged edges.  
'Here, let me,' the imp said, and promptly whipped out a box of band-aids. He carefully cradled the Professor's hand in his claws, wrapping a Coco-Chanel-pink plaster around the wound.  
When Him kissed it better, the Professor's pulse shot up as if he were a hound giving chase. He was struck by a dark impulse to inflict other such boo-boos on himself.  
'Thank you,' he murmured.  
'Maybe you could repay me by performing some of your Alfredo.'  
The Professor eagerly crooned his solo from _'Un Dì Felice'._  
  
_'Un dì felice, eterea,_  
_mi balenaste innante,_  
_e da quel dì, tremante,_  
_vissi d'ignoto amor...'_  
  
***  
  
The bell above the diner door jingled briskly.  
'I'm really sorry Him, I can't stay long today. I'll just take a cappucino to go. Professor Tartakovsky has asked me to fill in for his masters students in the lab. They have assessments coming up and-'  
  
He took in the sight of the cake, adorned with strawberries, birthday candles, and curls of fresh cream.  
'Hello to you too,' Him simpered.  
'Did - did you make this for me?'  
'Here's to surviving another year...'  
Warmth flowered in the Professor's chest. Apart from a family dinner at the local pizzeria, he'd planned nothing to celebrate. With deep graciousness, he blew out the candles.  
'I hope whatever you wished for comes true, John.'  
  
***  
  
It was getting late, and the drizzle persisted outside. Him mopped the checkerboard floor listlessly, as 'Raining on Prom Night' wailed from the jukebox. The imp breathily sang along.  
  
_'It's raining on prom night_  
_Oh what can I do?_  
_It's raining rain from the skies_  
_It's raining tears from my eyes_  
_Over you...'_  
  
He was about to switch the window sign to 'closed', and the door slammed open, admitting a windswept and waterlogged Professor Utonium.  
Him haughtily rested a claw on his hip. 'You're getting muddy water all over my clean floor.'  
'Sorry...' The Professor grabbed a paper napkin from the counter and feebly daubed at himself.  
'I thought you said you were never eating here again.'

The Professor had blurted the cruel brush-off that morning, when his girls had burst into the diner to ostensibly 'rescue' their father from the imp. Hearing the words repeated back to him severely sharpened the regret he'd been carrying around all day.  
'I came here to apologise...' He searched for the right words as he depleted the napkins in the dispenser. 'When the girls barged in, when they saw us together, I guess I just... panicked. I really didn't mean what I said.'  
'Didn't want them to catch you brunching with the enemy?'  
The Professor ditched a handful of wet napkins on the counter, and rested a hand on Him's shoulder. 'You're not the enemy.'  
'Try telling the rest of Townsville that.'

The Professor's voice was deep and steady. 'I know that whenever I come here, I can just be myself. I don't have to wear the mask of the respectable professor, or fill the role of super-dad. I can say what I want. Breathe easy. And it's pretty clear that you can do the same here.'  
  
His hand had softly trailed up to the imp's cheek. They stared at one another, not wanting to rupture the delicate moment. A raindrop trailed silently down the man's cheekbone.  
'John...'  
'What?' His voice was now little more than a whisper.  
'You're still dripping wet... here, let me get it.'  
Him pressed his lips to the rogue droplet. He kissed away another, and another, enjoying the taste of the hot, stubbled skin under his mouth.  
Large, warm hands held him close, and he forgot all about the rain.  
  
***  
  
The attending ghouls were dismissed by a large fireball flung in their direction. Two of them were burned to death, no healing spell was cast to revive them.  
Aku had made attempt after attempt to spy on the Utonium household. Him's concealing spell was impenetrable. Aku's reaction to this mutiny was feral - scorchmarks and fissures now blemished the stone around him.  
  
He crumpled to the ground and caught his breath. A crippling hunger seeped through his insides, one that would nevermore be fed. Normally after such outbursts, he would summon his lovely scarlet imp to soothe him, heal his wounds, and entertain him.  
  
While there was still a whole coterie of courtesans under his command, the pretty creature made of starlight had been the treasured jewel of his crown. In comparison, all other succour now felt grey and empty.  
Aku had overheard the rumour, of course - that his concubine had been carrying on in secret with another - but he had been too proud to believe it. He remembered the diner in Townsville, and his anger stirred again.  
  
What could have been an easy conquest had quickly become an infuriating stalemate. While Him watched over the girls, while Jack's sword was still within his reach, the hazards were too great for Aku to attempt another onslaught.  
Eventually, he would make them both watch as he dismembered those three enchanted brats, and reduced their city to ashes.  
  
***  
  
The Professor felt sweat prickling the back of neck, and a weary ache in his joints. Once again, he rose from his kneeling position, established his stance, and attempted swinging the sword.  
He lunged forward, his knees wobbling. The exquisite blade cut a ragged, uneven path through the muggy air.  
  
'Too stiff, too hesitant!' exclaimed Michiko, perched on a garden bench by Jack's side. 'You must allow your body to flow, let the sword be an extension of yourself. Give over your chattering mind to full awareness of the present moment.'  
The Professor looked expectantly to Jack.  
'...What she said.'  
Bubbles cheered. 'You can do it, Professor!'  
  
They had been at it for hours: Jack patiently leading his kinsman through the fundamenetal kata of swordsmanship, and Michiko acting as an enthusiastic assistant coach. The many aikido competitions she had won in her heyday were showing their legacy here.  
Removed from the group, Him drifted in the air above the trees, monitoring the city skyline for any signs of disturbance.

'I still say we should let Baa-chan use the sword,' Buttercup said.  
Michiko's eyes hardened. 'I did not raise my son to be the man he is today, just so I could fight his battles for him. He was the one whom Jack chose.'  
  
Blossom frowned. Taking her grandmother's words in mind, she hopped up to join her father.  
'See Professor, it's kind of like a dance. Even in the moments of stillness, you're keeping to a pulse. And whatever your opponent does, you need to match in kind.'  
She slowly and gingerly drew a clenched fist towards his chin. 'If you're in tune, you'll feel the right time to block me.'  
'Careful Blossom, don't hurt him!' Bubbles cried.  
  
The Professor followed her smooth, slow motion, and moved the sword down to her arm. Blossom likewise curved her body down and away from his attack. Before she could strike again, the Professor found the right beat, and arced the sword towards her.  
Father and daughter continued their measured, meticulous exchange: the older utilising some of the _kata_ he had just learned, the younger drawing on her instinctive gift for combat. When one overwhelmed the other, they respectively eased off, quickly picking up the rhythm again for another round.  
No further commentary came from the onlookers. Jack watched the familial sparring intensely. The Professor eased into the flow of the duel, meeting his flame-haired opponent blow for blow. The sword began flying with a shade of its essential grace, albeit slowly.  
  
A memory emerged in Jack's mind: deep in the bowels of the Pit of Hate, his younger self meeting the rapid motions of Aku with fierce flashes of his blade. Piercing the flesh of fire and darkness. The beast recoiling, and then charging in retaliation. In turn, Jack swinging the weapon at his foe once more.  
  
Jack's reverie was interrupted by an unbidden vision: The darkened city streets, and a battle-weary little girl fleeing from Aku's cruelty. Within a fraction of a second, her small body impaled with a barrage of vicious black spikes. The child's mutilated corpse falling heavily to the ground beneath.  
'STOP!'  
  
All eyes fell on Jack, and the tortured look on his face.  
'We... we will stop for today.'  
The family uneasily made their way back inside. The girls carried Jack back to his place on the sofa.  
'Is there anything we can do for you?' Blossom asked quietly.  
Jack feebly shook his head. The pain in his legs and his abdomen began throbbing worse than ever.  
  
***  
  
That night, after Jack had drifted into a fitful sleep, the Professor returned to the garden to drill the _kata_ he had learnt.  
Blossom sat at the kitchen table with her sisters, as they tried and failed to distract themselves with homework. The sweeps of the blade, blinking with reflected starlight, took Blossom's attention.  
  
When she wandered out to the back door, she came upon a second spectator: Him leant upon a wall, captivated by the Professor's imperfect movements.  
'What do you think got into Jack today?' she asked him.  
'I don't know... I only hope it doesn't hinder his recovery.'  
She considered the imp. For so long, she had thought of him as her most formidable enemy.  
'Thank you,' she said. 'Not just for rescuing me. For all of it.'  
The answering expression on his face was oddly surprising - never before had Blossom seen his smile so sincere, his eyes so soft. 'And I'd do it again, darling.'  
'I can't imagine how difficult it's been, trying to keep a monster like Aku at bay.'  
'If those you care for are in danger, you find yourself calling upon strength you never knew you had.'  
The two fell into amicable silence, beholding the diligent efforts of the man they both loved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not sorry that this chapter is songficcy.  
> By the vy, I have created the mix that Him would play on the [Otto Time Diner jukebox.](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5VhMSrxbJMeoZYXNh9LnvxeIayssyFQu) Partly a loose soundtrack for he and Prof's love story, partly an excuse for some sweet mid-century bops.
> 
>  _Kata_ are the excercises and forms in Japanese martial arts. Modern Japanese martial arts are derivative of the older practices that Jack would have learnt: [Iado,](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EgYhimSS5wc) [Kendo,](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nA3nv5GpkcU) and Kenjutsu (and the rarer study of [Iajutsu](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCyg8KpnYmk)) are the disciplines related to the sword. _Aikido_ is a modern hand-to-hand martial art which aims to subdue opponents without injuring them.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updating early this week, as I am moving to a new place this weekend, and it's anyone's guess as to when my internet will be connected :/

The darkness had returned, close and complete. The echoes of her sisters could not be heard.  
Gradually, a deep, prickling sensation bled into her nerves: she could feel the watching predator, rather than see it. Pins and needles aggravated her limbs, and the faster she raced through the void, the slower she felt. It was like attempting to fly through steaming tar. Something advanced, eager to rip her to pieces.  
  
Her breath rasped rapidly in her throat, and she was shaking too badly now to trust her reflexes. It smelled her fright, and it was delighted.  
'I AM THE BANE,' it rumbled, and the darkness quaked in turn. 'I AM THE BLACK SERPENT.'  
The knife-like talons of its claw closed about her body, one by one. 'I AM THE BLIGHTED FLAME.' It cut into her skin, ravaged her flesh. She jerked awkwardly in reaction. Hot, tacky rivulets of her blood dripped down into the abyss.

The great flaming eyebrows sparked to life, and the glaring, hypnotic eyes slowly slid open. This unholy fire was blinding.  
'I AM THE DELIVERER OF DARKNESS.'  
She struggled, and the talons clasped her tighter. Her lungs were failing her. The agony as it ripped through her tendons and sinew drowned out all other perception.  
'I AM THE AKUMA.' It spat fire in her face, and she was engulfed by the inferno.  
  
***  
  
Blossom awoke to sweat, the chafe of a dry throat, and the unsettling silence of her bedroom.  
Buttercup and Bubbles were lost in sleep. The dim space looked just the same as it had on the night of her abduction. Every hushed, distant sound of the dormant suburbs teased at her imagination.  
  
The skyline outside lay in shadow. Townsville was a city that slept. In the dead of each night, almost all the lights of the skyscrapers routinely flickered out. It was troubling that a place so constantly plagued by violence would let its guard down, during the most perilous hours of darkness.  
She tried to fight down her rising pulse. Aku could not possibly be lurking here. Could he?  
  
She floated down into the wide-windowed sitting room, where at least the moonlight might provide some relief. A mean, horned sickle of smoky yellow peeked out from behind a cloud.  
Then, her eye was caught by a strange, otherworldly glint in the corner of the room.  
  
By the fireplace, Jack's sword rested in its glossy lacquered sheath, the elegant blade peeking ever so slightly out. The intensity of its shine did not match anything in its murky surroundings. Like an entranced moth, Blossom hovered towards it.  
She drew the lightest of fingers across the silken handle. Cool and smooth to the touch. The fever that had been throbbing in her head and her chest receded like an ebbing tide.  
Unable to resist, she pulled the sword from its resting place.  
  
The blank walls of the sitting room glowed a limpid and glorious silver. The sword shone with its own inner, resplendent light, transforming the gloom into clear brilliance, mystery burned away by clarity.

The lump on the sofa stirred. Jack blearily blinked awake.  
Blossom cringed. 'Oh... sorry...'  
'It's beautiful, isn't it?' he said gently.  
Blossom held it up once again, examining its dazzling blade. 'It's so shiny…'  
'It was forged in a divine flame. It can expel any evil spirits that dare to take control of it.'  
He fell silent for a moment, before adding:  
'It has proved to be a faithful beacon for me in times of need. It has always led me in the right direction.'  
For some minutes, the two contemplated the sword, engrossed in its quiet splendour.  
  
Five minutes later, under mellow lamplight, Jack and Blossom were polishing off Michiko's leftover onigiri.  
'You could not sleep,' Jack observed.  
'He came to me in my dream,' Blossom did not elaborate, but her haunted expression stung Jack's heart.  
'Ever since we were born, there's never been an enemy that my sisters and I couldn't handle. Protecting this city is our calling. But now... I don't know what to do. It feels as though he's going to come for me again before anyone can stop him. All my powers are not enough.'  
'Be that as it may, you are not completely helpless. You are Imagawa, the heir to the bloodline that can defeat him.'  
'No I'm not!' She cried. 'My father is, but... he isn't actually my father. I have no bloodline. My sisters and I were created in his laboratory. We love each other, and we act like a family, but... I'm an heir to nothing.'  
  
Tears filled the cherry blossom eyes. As she heaved with quiet sobs, Jack sat with her, breathed with her, tranquil and receptive of her pain.  
As her cries receded, he spoke, deliberate and soft.  
'You are more connected than you believe. Your actions have far more impact than your circumstances. Your courage thus far has already affected things in a way that will resound well into the future. Perhaps even across worlds.'  
'How?'  
'Well... for one, you and your sisters extended your help to me. You said I saved your life that day - you also saved mine.'  
She allowed herself a deep breath. 'How are your injuries?'  
'Agonising. The physical pain is one thing... the immobility is unbearable.'  
Blossom winced in sympathy.  
'But when I feel cluttered with sorrow and fear, I still my mind and meditate. Perhaps you can try the same.'  
  
***  
  
The city was still darkened. A mild breeze rustled the treetops. The crescent moon had descended through the inky sky.  
Blossom sat down in the middle of the backyard, letting the hush of the night settle upon her. Sorrow and fear still niggled at the corners of her mind. Dark memories refused to be ignored.  
She closed her eyes, and sunk down beyond the clamour of her thoughts.  
  
In her mind's eye, a sea of undulating hills stretched out before her. She breathed in the clean, humid air. Mist wafted low in the hills' valleys and crevices, but their peaks were visible for many miles.  
A black cloud hung in the northern skies, one that seemed to stretch on forever. A high, howling gust of wind pushed it forth, and with increasing speed it drifted closer and closer. It cast a massive dense shadow upon the earth.  
  
Blossom wanted desperately to escape from it, but her legs felt riveted to the spot, like two tree trunks with roots going deep into the bedrock.  
Something else was roaring in the distance behind her, something brisk and flowing. Approaching steadily from the edge of the horizon was an enormous torrent of water.  
It hit her. The fresh blast of cool liquid swirled in her long red mane and swam about her loose clothing, all the while the dark cloud in front gained ground and momentum.  
The current lifted the child like a paper bag tumbling helplessly in a gale. She struggled, limbs flailing about under the water, until it pushed her forward towards the dark cloud. Fearing the worst, she squeezed her eyes shut.  
  
When she opened them again, she was inhaling air. The water had somehow carried her up to its surface and steadied her position upon the tip of a wave. Now it was almost like laying upon solid ground. She tried standing... success. The roaring in her ears had decreased, and through the sound Blossom swore she could hear a very faint echo of human voices.  
She looked to the black cloud once again, it was almost on her. Surfing on the crest of the wave, she readied herself for the impact. She raised her hand, and droplets of water followed her motion.  
As one, they crashed upon the bank of dark cloud, the collision causing Blossom to lose her balance and be thrown into the chaotic aftermath. Immersed once more, she scrambled for something to grab hold of.  
  
After a few long moments of groping, she reached out to feel long grass and damp spongy soil. The torrent had drained, leaving her safe on the familiar ground.  
She looked up - the black cloud had vanished, washed away by Blossom's river. The land was now bathed in sunlight.

Blossom opened her eyes to be dazzled by the first red rays of morning streaking across the yard. They warmed her skin and stimulated her nerves.  
Revived from her meditation, she reached up to touch her cheek where the breeze murmured across her skin.  
  
***  
  
'It was amazing,' Blossom said through a mouthful of buttery flapjacks. 'It was like the river was connected to my body before we hit the black stuff, and then SMASH!' She bounced in her seat, causing the kitchen table to wobble and an intrigued Bubbles to flinch in shock. 'I was scared, but I knew I was meant to meet with it.'  
Jack slumbered on the sofa, tired from his nocturnal exchange with Blossom. The others were gathered for a hearty breakfast in the kitchen.  
'It looks as if that dream has restored your energy,' Him remarked cheerfully, piling more flapjacks onto her empty plate.  
Buttercup narrowed her eyes at the gesture. 'Careful with those, Blossom, he's probably poisoned 'em.'  
The Professor frowned at her, and she boldly glowered back at him.

'So what do you think the dream meant?' Bubbles asked.  
Blossom stared down at her plate. She was unsure about giving voice to the notion that had arisen, from some deep instinctual place. 'Um... I think it means I'm supposed to fight Aku.'  
'Absolutely not!' Was the Professor's instant reply.  
  
'But...'  
'That demon has already overpowered you twice. I thank the fates that Jack and Him were there to save you. I will not jeopardise your safety again.'  
A fresh impetus took hold of Blossom. 'That's just it! If you and Jack and Him are there to help us, then together we could all-'  
'That's enough. I will continue to learn the sword in Jack's stead.'  
'But you suck at it!' Buttercup shot back.  
Her mouth snapped shut at the Professor's withering glare.  
'We will discuss this further after school.' He handed the girls their lunchboxes and school bags, and issued them out the door.  
  
Him cleared the breakfast plates, and pondered what to say.  
'I don't think the girls like feeling powerless...' He prayed that he would not recieve a harsh rebuke for this.  
Instead, the Professor's rigid carriage wilted. 'I know. But I just can't stand the thought of Aku capturing them again.'  
  
His eye was caught by a vivid crayon drawing, tacked to the fridge with a bunny-shaped magnet. This one was new, the Professor had not seen it before.  
Along the right edge of the paper, the _hiragana_ characters for 'family' had been painstakingly scrawled out in cobalt blue. Dominating the page were carefully detailed figures of the three girls. Jack stood proudly next to Blossom, holding his sword high. The blade had been depicted with intricate silver shading.  
To the other side of the girls, a tall man in a white robe and a red-and-pink ballerina were locked in a tender embrace. Florid fuschia love hearts bordered the entire clan.  
  
'Bubbles gave that to me this morning,' Him murmured.  
The Professor's heart swelled. 'It's a creation worth protecting.'  
Him caught the slight waver in his lover's voice. 'Aku is not omnipotent, you know. If anyone stands a chance against him, it's this family.'  
'But not at the expense of anyone's life. I won't allow it.' The Professor kissed the imp's forehead.  
  
***  
  
Some weeks passed. The Utonium family bore the uneasy impasse, all too aware of Aku's lying in wait.  
Each member handled it in their own way. Blossom's urge to take action had been stifled by the Professor's edict, so it found another channel: the girl beset Jack with question after question about Aku's battle strategies. She listened eagerly as the warrior described the many ways in which the beast despatched his enemies. Jack himself still ached from his wounds. He stoically bore his convalescence; the long hours of stillness upon the sofa, and wondering about Aku's movements in the shadows, were a trial to be endured. But his afflictions were lessened by Blossom's bright curiosty. Jack further exercised his patience in overseeing the Professor's dogged study of the sword.  
  
Buttercup had grown distant, giving the cold shoulder to her father and furiously resenting the continued presence of Him. The efforts of the others to console her were met with muttered objections and sullen glares. In particular, Bubbles had made repeated efforts to rally her, and they only ended in tears.

Meanwhile, the city of Townsville remained at peace. For once, its streets were devoid of monsters, criminals, and maniac super-villains.  
'Odd, that the city should be so quiet,' The Professor said, surveying the sleeping skyline from his bedroom window. 'You'd think at least Mojo would have attempted to blow something up by now.'  
'Yeah, well...' Him looked askance. 'I may have visited the worst offenders and... threatened them?'  
Off the Professor's bemused look, the imp elaborated. 'I told them that if they dared to attack the town anytime soon, I'd make sure they would face "dire consequences". I... figured the girls could use a break from their usual grind.'  
Him was startled by the Professor's delighted laughter. 'You're still full of surprises!'

A fond grin grew on the imp's face, and he slunk down onto the bed.  
'John,' he beckoned.  
Taking in the sight of doting eyes and the languid, curved figure sprawled before him, the man's insides rapidly heated. He fell upon his unearthly lover, greedy to have that lovely skin under his touch once again. They shared full, heavy kisses, completely entwined.  
  
The Professor's hands briefly skirted one of the many scars on Him's back - scars he knew not to dwell on. But reactively, his caresses slowed, growing more pensive.  
'That is Aku's handiwork, by the way,' Him said. 'The scars.'  
'I'm sorry, I didn't-'  
'He could get quite violent. I had no choice but to ride it out. I couldn't let him doubt my loyalty, such as it was.'  
The Professor's embrace tensed, an irrepressible surge of protectiveness took him.  
'Never again,' he vowed.  
Him pressed another exhilirating kiss to his lips.  
  
The Professor enveloped Him's body, tenderly brushing his hands across sleek, perfumed flesh. While the imp soaked up this heady physical contact, he stiffly held his claws away from the man's body, anxious not to hurt him. As the Professor's lips found their way down Him's neck, his toes instantly curled and an intense rush of pleasure shot right through his body.  
Without warning, the imp found himself being grasped by the hips and wrenched upright to sit on his lover's lap. On instinct, he splayed his arms out in front to regain balance, and a jagged claw made contact with the Professor's sternum.  
The man jerked back, hissing painfully as blood started oozing out of the cut.  
'John!'  
  
Reflexively, the imp conjured trails of pink light, which glided across the wound, soothing the area and closing the opened skin. The Professor's shock quickly gave way to fascination for the healing spell.  
He was soon patched up, a cherry pink scar marking the handiwork.  
  
Him had shrunk away by several inches, cringing like a guilty dog. He had tucked his claws down by his sides. 'I'm so sorry...'  
'You have healing powers!' The Professor's voice was all warm, hushed wonderment.  
'...Yes. He made me tend to his battle wounds.'  
'But then... Him... that means you could heal Jack!'  
  
The imp's mouth pursed. 'I'm not so sure that's a good idea.'  
'Why ever not?'  
He pondered how to explain it accurately. 'These powers I have ensure a sort of... connection between Aku and I. Like a psychic link of sorts. He knows when I'm using them; it takes a lot of power and focus to do so. Even the concealing spell protecting us is something that he would have sensed, deep inside.' A heavy pause. 'He probably knows that I just healed you now, too.'  
'And that could be dangerous?'  
'I've never healed anyone but Aku before. And yours was only a small injury. If I attempted to heal Jack's wounds... well, I'm worried about how Aku may retaliate. It would not be impossible for him to sabotage the spell.'  
  
Together, they stared down at Him's gruesome pincers, resting innocently on the rumpled bedspread.  
'You know, I do have hands under these. Aku put them on me to stop me from getting close to anyone else.'  
Overcome, the Professor reached out and held Him closer than ever.  
  
***  
  
It stirred him, a rosy burst of warmth in his deep, stony slumber. His concubine was tending to another.  
As he woke, a well of sick, jealous rage began to roil in his core. The little imp was growing bolder in his betrayal. Aku hoped hatefully that the vermin who'd stolen his jewel away would be shredded to bits by those pincers.  
  
He stretched out his serpentine body, and cast a portal to view the city of Townsville. It was dormant in the night, susceptible to its many predators. How could it be that not one of them had ever succeeded at taking it?  
  
The sweet spark of Him's healing spell still lingered softly at the edge of Aku's consciousness. In truth, the powers that he'd bestowed on the imp had been his own: powers that conquered, manipulated, and tormented. Him's ability to restore and nourish had been a fortuitous accident, one that Aku could only attribute to the light of the morning star. Nevertheless, the imp still belonged to him. Any time he weaved his pretty magic, his master inevitably felt it, like a butterfly tugging on a spiderweb.  
  
Aku peered closely at the city once more. Jammed between a busy main road and a city park sat the diner he had gifted his concubine.  
All he required was one little chink in the armour.


	7. Chapter 7

The city of Townsville was far, far too quiet. For some weeks now, not one of its usual tormentors had dared make a peep. No monsters, no evil robots, no explosions. It was driving Mojo Jojo crazy.  
  
Ever since Him had appeared in the villain's observatory, demanding that Mojo cease his scheming and sieging, he had been trying to occupy himself with small-scale projects: building a service robot who could unclog the toilet and water the flowers on a single setting. Upgrading his laser gun. Sudoku and baking.  
None of it could settle his restlessness. Nor could it ease the trembling, awful agitation that the imp had left in his wake with a cloud of pink smoke.   
  
For the longest time, Him had been a glorious lodestar for Mojo to live up to. While the chimp had mastered the more concrete skills of robotics and weaponry, Him's unfathomable magic was something that he could only marvel at. The imp had pushed the girls to their limits, managing to get inside their heads in a way that no other villain could. He inspired, thrilled, and terrified Mojo. He also smelled of roses and candyfloss. In short, his every wish was Mojo's reverent command.  
  
Mojo threw his sudoku puzzle book to the floor and began pacing the length of his observatory. Insomnia had been plaguing him for the past few nights. He had begun to ponder exactly what Him's intentions were in stifling the city's criminals. At first, the chimp had anticipated some epic and devastating take-over, and had plotted ways to ingratiate himself into becoming the imp's right hand man. As the days crawled by and Townsville remained at peace, these fantasies were gradually worn away.  
  
It was not yet dawn, but Mojo's thoughts now turned to breakfast. That would at least keep him occupied.  
Just as he set the coffee pot to percolate, another burst of smoke filled his kitchenette - this one was murky grey and smelled of acrid sulphur.  
'HELLO, LITTLE BEAST.'  
  
Through the eye-stinging haze, Mojo discerned the sleek, elegant figure. It seemed that Him had undergone something of a rebrand: a long, form-fitting black gown, emerald skin, and surprisingly, his old monstrous pincers were replaced by human-looking hands.   
Mojo bowed his head, ready for further instruction.  
  
The creature chuckled throatily. The once lilting velvet voice now boomed like thunder. 'SUCH DEFERENCE TO MY POWER. I AM TOUCHED. MY ENTOURAGE COULD USE SOMEONE LIKE YOU.'  
'As you wish,' Mojo answered, his pulse racing hot.  
'I HAVE A TASK FOR YOU. IT IS MY UNDERSTANDING THAT WHILE YOU ARE NOT THE GREATEST THREAT THAT TOWNSVILLE FACES, YOU ARE THE MOST EAGER RIVAL OF THE POWERPUFF GIRLS.'  
Mojo wore this blow to his ego with rare compliance. 'Yes, Your Greatness. As you know, it is I who have most frequently and persistently done battle with those brats. I have challenged them time and time again with-'  
'IN THAT CASE, I HAVE A TASK FOR YOU. TOMORROW NIGHT, I WANT YOU TO GO OUT ONTO THE CITY AND ATTACK THE GIRLS.'  
  
'It would me my pleasure, Your Wickedness! Of late, I have been fine-tuning my laser gun to blast through the toughest metal alloys. With this, I can lay this pathetic city to rack and ruin, level its structures and reduce it to-'  
'FOOL! DID YOU NOT LISTEN TO MY COMMAND!?' Mojo's idol snared him by his cloak and stared him down. 'DO NOT CONCERN YOURSELF WITH TOWNSVILLE. I SAID I WANTED YOU TO ATTACK THE GIRLS. DO WHAT YOU MUST TO DRAW THEM OUT FROM THEIR HOME, BUT ONCE THEY FACE YOU, YOU ARE TO FOCUS ON DESTROYING THEM. DO YOU HEAR ME?'  
'Loud and clear, Your Imperiousness.'  
'I EXPECT YOU TO BE MERCILESS. DO NOT DISAPPOINT ME.'  
  
With another burst of charcoal smoke, Him disappeared. And Mojo, his heart pounding and eyes watering, dashed off to his laboratory. All thoughts of breakfast were abandoned.  
  
***  
  
The Professor drew the sword from its sheath, managing to slice into Aku's torso with the same clean motion. The beast recoiled, but quickly lashed out a tentacle, tripping him up. The Professor was fast enough to anticipate this, hacking the thick cord so it hung to Aku's body by one raw sinew.  
However, the beast quickly lunged again, and a swipe from his claw was enough to down the Professor. Before he could get up, he was blasted by a volley of flames, and met his defeat.  
  
The simulation faded, and the Professor was left sprawled in the sterile white confines of the girls' training cell.  
'Again,' he insisted, struggling to his feet.  
At the command console, Blossom reluctantly rebooted the program, wishing not for the first time that he would just let her spar with him.  
This time, Aku split himself into a pack of smaller beasts, and it took less than a minute for the Professor to be overwhelmed. They set upon him like piranhas, plunging virtual fangs into vulnerable flesh.  
'Again.'  
  
Now he was surrounded by a dirty grey mist, dank filaments and floating particles obscuring his vision. The Professor drew the sword with admirable form and readied himself, on the alert for any change in the atmosphere.  
Aku flew out of the darkness, with one of his arms transmuted into a brutal, serrated spear. The Professor panicked, lunging clumsily. The sword barely grazed Aku's side as the dense dark spike ran straight through the man's chest.  
' _Again!_ '  
  
Bubbles wailed in dismay, hiding her face in her grandmother's embrace. Michiko gently rubbed her back.  
'Perhaps you should take a break, son.'  
'Aku could come at any time,' he said. 'I can't let down my girls.'  
'Then you shouldn't exhaust yourself!'  
Mother and son underwent a hard, brief stand-off. The son relented. His muscles had long been screaming out for rest. 'Very well.'  
As he exited the booth, Him rose from the corner of the lab, ready with a chilled water bottle and the man's padded dressing gown.  
'Well, this is just great,' Buttercup grumbled. 'We're basically sitting ducks.'  
Jack looked her in the eye firmly. 'We should not give up hope.'  
As the Professor took a swig of water, Blossom spotted something strange lying beneath the fabric of his t-shirt.  
'Professor... what's that on your stomach?'  
  
The family took notice. It was a scar - clean, curved, the colour of cherry blossoms. The Professor shared an uneasy glance with Him.  
'Um... well, there was an accident...'  
Him did not dither. 'I accidentally cut your father with my claws, and then I healed the injury with my powers.'  
Stiff silence filled the room.  
Jack was the first to speak, soft and even. 'You can heal injuries.'  
'Yes.'

Buttercup roared. 'You've been holding out on us! I knew it! You just wanted to watch Jack suffer, didn't you!?'  
'Buttercup,' Michiko warned, and then turned to Him. 'Is there a reason you were reluctant to tell us this?'  
'Well... As far as I know, all of my powers ultimately belong to Aku. In order to heal serious wounds, I have to use a lot of energy - energy that he could potentially tap into. I believe the risk may be too high.'  
'Baloney,' Buttercup retorted. 'As far as we know, you could've betrayed Aku just so you could destroy us on your own and take over Townsville yourself-'  
'Buttercup. Shut. Up.'  
At Blossom's stern command, the girl slumped in her seat and crossed her arms tightly.  
  
Jack was undeterred. 'But even if there is a chance of Aku appearing, you could have already healed me by the time he is able to do any damage. And if you and I are united, we stand a great chance of defending this family and this city from his wrath.'  
It was wonderful and troubling to look into that hopeful, persevering face. So much like the face of his beloved John.  
'You must do this,' Michiko insisted. 'Whatever the risk, it is our best chance.'  
The family's intentions were uniting and resolving, all trained upon Him. Ally or not, he was still the interloper of the clan, and allegiance was being demanded.  
  
'Alright, I'll do it.'  
  
***  
  
That very evening, they set Jack up in the laboratory, laid out on a sterilised table. It bore a vague resemblance to Aku's sacrificial altar in the Pit of Hate. Him tried very hard to ignore this.  
The warrior's sword lay by his side. His bandages were carefully removed by the Professor, a slow reveal of the gory, partially healed flesh. The low thrum of expectation in the room took on a sharp, pained sympathy.   
  
The girls were shepherded away from the table, but the heaviness of their stares did not ease. The imp kept his head down, making every effort to centre his energy. Horrid imaginings of Aku, penetrating the stream of his soft magic and poisoning it, flashed unwanted before him. No, he would stay alert. He would restrain the savagery of his master with every drop of strength he had.  
Buttercup's suspicion, Blossom's eagerness, the Professor's tender faith, all were shut out. Him concentrated on the gashes and the burns before him. He breathed in the ache and the inflammation, and let it sit in his chest. Gentling, without tension, he allowed this knotted, heated hurt to slowly unravel, slowly transmute.  
The air settled, and a little rosette of mellow pink light sprouted between Him's claws.  
  
A shrill screech disrupted the quiet.  
It was the buzz of the girls' hotline. Blossom rushed to answer it.  
'Yes, Mayor?... Mojo Jojo is on a rampage downtown? We're on our way!'  
With a flash of colourful light trails, the girls were gone.  
  
The budding healing spell faded. Something in Him's core was rattled. This wasn't right, Mojo shouldn't have disobeyed the imp's command to lay low.  
Jack looked up at Him. 'Is everything alright?'  
The imp's breath was growing shallower. 'I... I have to go.'  
He left the wounded warrior, pursuing the girls into the city.  
  
***  
  
What Him came upon was a familiar sight: the three children swooped madly upon some ludicrous robot contraption of Mojo's, and the chimp piloted it with ungainly aggression. The Townsville citizens scattered away from the scene.  
  
A small missile was aimed at Bubbles, Buttercup dived and knocked her out of its path. It made impact with an elevated railway - chunks of stone and iron flew everywhere, and the oncoming trains screeched to a halt. Mojo then swung the robot's huge fist at Buttercup. She deftly dodged the blow.  
The imp still kept his distance; it seemed that the girls were holding their own admirably. His trials and challenges had coached them well.  
Blossom fired her ice breath at the robot, and it stumbled back into a parking lot. It grabbed an upended jeep and hurled it at the girl, she ducked. Bubbles caught the vehicle and placed it carefully on the street below.  
While she was occupied, Mojo pressed a button, flinging an iridescent metallic net down upon her.  
  
The net cleanly encased itself around Bubbles, and she thrashed madly against it, unable to free herself. Blossom and Buttercup made a frenzied dash to her aid, and were quickly knocked out of the way by a heavy swipe from the robot. They crashed to the ground hard. Convulsing with shock, Bubbles' screams rent their hearts.  
Mojo acted quickly, aiming another missile at Bubbles. This time, his prey could not escape.  
  
Pure, protective rage crashed through Him's body. A black beam of magic flew forth from his claws, towards Mojo's oversized head. No hesitation - the imp was shooting to kill.  
Before the deadly beam struck its target, it bent in mid-air, angling sharply away in another direction: towards the Otto Time Diner.  
Blossom and Buttercup had recovered, and freed Bubbles from the net. All three witnessed the beam from Him's claws hit the diner. An enormous, soundless explosion followed, sending destructive shockwaves across the city block.  
  
The inky darkness subsumed the ruins, and grew, and grew, until it dwarfed the skyscrapers. Long arms and sharp horns branched forth. The burning eyes snapped open.  
Aku knelt down to examine Mojo and his robot. The chimp's surprise had turned to abject terror.  
The ground shook with Aku's laughter.  
'SUCH A FUNNY LITTLE ANIMAL. YOU HAVE PROVED USEFUL, BUT I HAVE NO FURTHER NEED OF YOU.'  
The robot, with its pilot trapped inside, was hurled off into an industrial park.

'Girls!!'  
A sleek white car screeched up to the scene. One man dashed out of the vehicle with a sword in his hand, terrified for his daughters. The other man could do nothing but sit in the passenger's seat and watch the grisly spectacle unfold.   
Aku was equally amused by this.  
'TWO SAMURAI? ONE CRIPPLED, AND ONE AN IMPOSTER!' He thrust his claw down towards the Professor, and a streak of pink smoke darted between them.  
'Don't hurt him!' the imp screamed.  
  
Aku's face soured. 'SO THIS IS YOUR PLAYTHING. DO NOT WORRY, MY PET. I SHOULD LIKE HIM TO WITNESS THE FULL WRATH OF AKU BEFORE I KILL HIM. AND I SHALL START WITH THIS!'  
He plucked the sword from the Professor's helpless hands. Him leapt forth and latched himself onto Aku's claws. He tried to prise the weapon from his master, grasping and grappling with all his supernatural strength. Aku easily knocked him loose with a blast of white-hot light from his eyes. The imp fell upon the roadside.  
Aku aimed this evil white light at the sword. It was the work of a moment to shatter the exquisite blade into dust.  
The sword's handle clattered gracelessly to the ground by the Professor's car. Jack fell from his seat, his heart leaden. The agony of his unbandaged leg smacking upon the asphalt went ignored.  
He clutched the scorched and smoking handle to his chest, and wept.  
  
Aku laughed again, and grabbed Him by the waist.  
'I MUST THANK YOU, MY CONCUBINE. YOUR INTEREST IN THIS PATHETIC LITTLE BROOD HAS MADE CONQUERING THIS CITY A MOST RIVETING GAME. NOW THEY SHALL BE THE AUDIENCE TO MY VICTORY AS THEY AWAIT THEIR OWN SLAUGHTER.'  
He tossed the imp down again, and wasted no time in hurling a ball of fire at Townsville City Hall. The building burst into flame; its great marble dome fractured and collapsed.  
Bubbles shrieked, tearfully barrelling towards Aku with her fists clenched. He swatted her away like a beetle, and she slammed into the side of an apartment block.  
Aku turned from them, breathing acid green fire onto the city of Townsville.  
  
As Blossom flew to Bubbles' side, the Professor looked down at Him, still prostrate on the asphalt.  
'Please tell me you didn't cause this.'  
'I-'  
'He did!' Buttercup cried. 'He shot some kinda evil spell from his claws, and it turned into Aku!'  
The Professor's face turned to steel.  
'It was an accident! Please let me help,' Him begged. 'I can-'  
'Go!'  
In a dim cloud of dusty rose, the imp vanished.


	8. Chapter 8

Smoke filled the air, filled the lungs of the frantic citizens. Dead bodies lay in the gutters. Great masses of rubble blocked escape for many.  
The green fires raged on several blocks, consuming all that they touched. Aku had coiled himself around the tallest building, firing his wicked magic gleefully onto the streets below. A fleet of combat aircraft had already flown in and launched their futile attacks. They currently littered the ground as wreckage.  
Townsville had gone to hell.  
  
The Professor had thrown himself into administering what first-aid he could to the injured townspeople. Jack still lay on the road, unmoving, the sword handle clutched in his arms.  
'Didn't I say this would happen?' Buttercup said, trying to ignore Bubbles' weeping. 'I knew we shouldn't have trusted Him!'  
Blossom's face was blank. 'What's done is done.'  
She turned towards the sight of Aku's rampage, and shook herself. She sought out that silent place that lay beyond the clamour of her thoughts.  
'What do you think you're doing?' Buttercup asked.  
'I'm going to defend our city.'  
There was something final in her tone, which quieted Bubbles' cries and calmed Buttercup's outrage.  
'We still have a job to do. Are you girls coming?'  
With no more said, they joined their leader. The three girls launched into the sky.  
  
Aku was busy blasting away a stream of emergency vehicles, when the girls came upon him.  
'AH, SO YOU HAVE DECIDED TO FACE ME. I WAS HOPING YOU WOULD. IT WILL BE SO MUCH MORE FUN TO KILL YOU IN COMBAT.'  
A mass of pure darkness shot forth from Aku's claw; not quickly enough to hit the three children. They all darted out of the way in perfect sync.  
Aku gave chase, firing more shots of darkness at their scarpering light trails.  
'Let's split up,' Blossom said, 'give him multiple targets to deal with.'  
  
Buttercup and Bubbles veered away, but Aku was not put off. He steadily hunted Blossom through the skies, and the girl's speed faltered as she dodged Aku's continued assault.  
He got close enough to ensnare her with an outstreched tentacle. Before he could do anything further, a sharp shot of Bubbles' laser eyes stunned the appendage and set Blossom free. All three sisters then lasered the rest of the beast's tentacles. He lurched awkwardly, but managed a swipe at the girls with his claws. They hurtled into the rubble on the streets.  
The masses of darkness that Aku had flung were still flying aimlessly through the air. With a flick of his claw, the beast willed them towards him, and cast them down upon the debilitated children.  
  
Once again, Blossom was engulfed in a pure, endless abyss.  
She was not thwarted by terror. She had survived this once, and she would do so again. She patiently listened for her sisters.  
Slowly, two pulses, two patterns of breath, became discernible in the silence.  
'Bubbles, Buttercup,' she called.  
'Blossom, where are you?' said Bubbles, somewhere close to her.  
Blossom reached out to take hold of her hand. 'Don't let go of me.'  
'Girls, I'm here!' Buttercup shouted nearby. 'Quick, or he's gonna-'  
  
Buttercup's own hand was seized, and she balked to discover that it was not the warm, familiar touch of her sisters.  
Her startled scream was silenced as Aku's tentacle closed over her mouth. It began snaking itself around her neck, tighter and tighter, and her windpipe was tightened along with it.  
While Buttercup had been rendered mute by the attack, the sick slithering of the tentacle could still be detected.  
'Don't let go of me,' Blossom repeated to Bubbles, and gingerly she began to reach out in the direction of the smooth, dreadful rustling.  
She grappled about until she came into contact with a solid form; the tentacle felt hard and hot and dense. However, one of Buttercup's hands still lay uncovered.  
As soon as Buttercup felt her sister's firm, reassuring hand, she gripped it with all her remaining energy.

Both Bubbles and Blossom pulled at their captive sister. The tentacle was stubborn. The girls burned with ache, their foe tried to throw them off, but they held fast.  
Finally, the tentacle slipped away like an uprooted weed, and Buttercup was pulled free.  
'We hold onto each other and fly upwards together. Don't stop for a second,' Blossom instructed.  
The three light trails tore through the dark, as one perfect blinding shaft.  
It only took a few moments to burst out of the murk. They re-emerged into the city, blinking as their eyesight adjusted to the return of light, albeit muted and dingy.

Aku was waiting for them, sailing high above the damaged buildings, blocking out the moon.  
'YOU'RE PAYING ATTENTION, I SEE,' with this, he descended on the girls.  
Before he got much closer, his gigantic body abruptly splintered into fragments, all of which continued to swoop downwards. Their shapes shifted, until a flock of winged raptors with long, curling talons were upon them.  
Bubbles managed to fend a few off with her sonic scream but was quickly overwhelmed. They pecked and scratched at her until Buttercup slammed into them with a sturdy elbow. After ramming them into the side of a building, she grabbed one raptor and hurled it at a clump of others, sending them all plummeting below.  
Watching this encounter, Bubbles followed suit, now using her sonic scream to throw the raptors' flight off balance. She then knocked them into one another mid-air. Their numbers slowly began to thin out.  
Blossom rose above the flock. In the centre was a raptor somewhat larger than the rest, beating its huge wings and remaining relatively idle.  
She rocketed towards it, winding up to topple it out of the sky.  
As she neared it, the other raptors began to charge at her, anxious to protect their leader. The same compulsion took hold of Bubbles and Buttercup. With a volley of sonic screams and breakneck punches, the smaller raptors were disposed of, clearing the way for Blossom's attack.  
She slammed into the leader's face, and it dropped heavily. It crashed into the ruins of the Otto Time Diner, sending forth a great spray of dust and debris. The smaller raptors vanished in puffs of charcoal smoke.  
  
Blossom scanned the area: the Professor, Jack, and a small gathering of paramedics lay close by.  
'Don't let your guard down, girls, he could-'  
Aku sprung up from the site of the diner again. He examined the girls' defensive posture, shielding the vulnerable humans beneath.  
'PERHAPS I HAVE BEEN TAKING THE WRONG APPROACH. THERE ARE CRUELLER WAYS TO HURT YOU.'  
He swept the girls aside effortlessly, and set his sights on the two samurai. A jet of green fire spurted from his mouth.  
It was stifled by a squall of ice breath.  
  
Blossom and Aku locked eyes, both upholding the flow of their enchanted breath. Small shards of rainbows danced in the endless residue of their clash; flame and frost and steam. Girl and beast summoned all their resolve to not allow one to overpower the other.  
Then, like lightning, an image flashed in the minds of both warriors:  
  
_He_ saw _Her,_ riding the crest of a perfect wave, in a river of warriors and sages reaching back into the distant past. A red sun haloed her, it was nowhere near as bright as her cherry blossom eyes.  
  
_She_ saw _Him,_ frightened, encased in a black pine tree. The rumble of the Emperor's cavalry grew ever closer, crazed with bloodlust. He could not escape, they were going to kill him. His roots shuddered in the dry soil.  
  
Aku blinked madly, and the sight of the city returned. Blossom sailed above his head, proud, resilient.  
'You will not hurt my family.'  
Her family... Aku's gaze now found the two other girls, staunchly guarding the two samurai.  
'YOUR FAMILY? AH, I SEE. MY CONCUBINE TOLD ME OF THIS. YOU TRULY BELIEVE THAT THE MAN YOU CALL "FATHER" IS YOUR KINSMAN. WERE YOU NOT BORN IN A LABORATORY FLASK? IS YOUR ORIGIN NOT STERILE AND ARTIFICIAL?'  
While she did not drop her stance, the little girl's eyes tightened as she fought back tears. Aku's words were having the desired effect.  
'I WOULD EVEN HESITATE TO CALL YOU HUMAN, MY LITTLE MUTANT.'  
She had been run through in the most dire way possible. Bursting into tears, she turned and fled.  
  
'Blossom!...' the Professor yelled.  
She was not stopped by his call. It was the sudden shot of thick black spikes, fired from Aku's claws, that halted her flight. They struck her in the back, piercing cleanly through her body.  
Her corpse fell to earth with a soft, apalling thud.  
  
***  
  
The Pit of Hate was blessedly silent in Aku's absence. Curled up in an inner chamber, Him could hear the soft, apalling thud of his own heartbeat.  
Then, a spike of energy shot through the imp, and it burned away the mire of his self-pity. His master had killed.  
It was followed by a heavy streak of despair, cutting through the echoed adrenalin. This had not come from Aku.  
Him's course of action was clear; without wasting a breath, he vanished from the Pit.  
  
***  
  
It seemed that Aku was struggling to contend with sisterly fury: Bubbles and Buttercup were ferocious as they attacked the beast, fired by anger for their fallen sibling.  
Him could not weep for the ravaged state of Townsville. He had just re-appeared in the city, and the first sight that met the imp was already too heartbreaking.  
Crumpled over on the road, the Professor shook with violent, soul-deep sobs. Blossom's bloodied little body hung limp in his arms.  
  
As Him gingerly approached, the man's eyes snapped up.  
'Stay away from my baby, you traitor!'  
'Please... if I am able to make anything right, let it be this.'  
'STAY AWAY!' His hoarse, pained cry wrenched Him's insides.  
'Please, John... allow me to do this...'  
  
The Professor examined Him for a few taut moments. A minute softening of his gaze, then he carefully, reverently lay his dead daughter upon the ground before him.  
The imp responded to this by picking her up and slashing her chest open with his claw.  
The Professor did not have time to retaliate, for as soon as this violation had been commited, Him performed the same act upon his own body.  
  
What drained out of Him was not blood, but a pearly, bright substance, fine and fluid. The imp had collapsed to his knees, convulsing in agony, still cradling Blossom in his arms. With Him's waning strength, this sweet light was corralled towards the gash on Blossom's chest, channelled into her heart.  
The Professor backed away slowly as the light grew brighter and brighter, encasing the two of them.  
Likewise, the girls and Aku had stilled in the skies, and watched the blooming of this strange magic.  
  
***  
  
Blossom. Blossom Utonium. That is my name, the girl remembered.  
Sugar, Spice, Everything Nice. Then a tall, handsome man in a white robe produced a glass phial. He drained a shimmering scarlet ribbon of his own blood into the mixture.  
The ancient Imagawa bloodline of emperors and heroes. The scourge of the Akuma, the keepers of the sword and the river.  
Then, chaos. He was thrown off his feet by a small shaggy black animal, and darkness filled the cloudy, swirling elixir. The chaotic music of the other components was suddenly refracted into a roar of bottomless, nameless power.  
  
***  
  
The ruins of Townsville were cast in resplendent pink light.  
The body of a little girl rose into the skies. The black spikes that were lodged in her torso slowly burned away, leaving whole, robust flesh behind. Her red hair swam weightlessly about her face.  
She ascended above the tallest building, and opened her cherry blossom eyes, dazzling the pallid moon. The resurrected Imagawa princess took full command of the night sky.  
  
Her light was cast to the farthest reaches of the city, pulsing out from her in rythmic waves. The rubble was restored into buildings, the dusty air was swept clear, and the slain and injured now stood alive and unharmed, gaping at the spectacle. The filth and the gloom were washing away like stormwater.  
She looked at Aku _,_ eyes searing like the morning sun.  
'My dynasty will be avenged.'  
The quaking black beast was doused in a huge gust of sparkling ice breath. His dense flesh crumbled in the streams of light and frost. The inhuman, bone-chilling shrieks were cut off, as he diminished into a meagre cloud of shadow.  
  
Down below, a perfect silver blade glinted in the clutches of a healed warrior.  
Buttercup and Bubbles joyously flew up to embrace Blossom, the sisters reunited. And once again, the day was saved.  
Jack struggled to his feet, at last standing at his full height. The feel of the unblemished sword in his clutches elevated his heart into the heavens.  
He looked up at the three children, giddy with triumph and relief. Blossom's light had expelled every last trace of his misery.  
As the girls cavorted under the stars, it was now clear to see who they were, and the legacy they upheld.  
  
'Him!...'  
Down below, their father held a dying imp in his arms.  
It was a struggle to speak, his breaths were shallow and uneven.  
'He is weak... if... if you and Jack and the girls... pursue him... you may be able to...'  
Fresh, bitter tears were now surging down the Professor's cheeks. Him reached up weakly, kissing one salty drop away.  
Something smooth and delicate was stroking the back of the man's neck. He gently reached around to take hold of it.  
'Hands... you have hands!'  
Him managed a smile. 'See?... you can defeat him now... I know it...'  
The Professor ardently kissed the dainty fingers.  
The imp's voice was faint and warm. 'I love you.'  
And in one gentle moment, his heart stopped beating.  
  
Jack and the girls had drawn towards the sorry sight. They reached the Professor's side, only to witness the flimsy dark mass that was now Aku swoop down and steal Him's body, away into the night.  
'NO!' Blossom ripped out a frantic scream, held back from chasing the beast by her sisters.  
  
'He is injured badly,' Jack said, 'and he will be seeking shelter. Somewhere volcanic, if he can find it. If he is chased down and cornered...'  
'Girls. Take me with you,' the Professor commanded.  
'Professor, no!' cried Blossom.  
He looked earnestly into his daughter's eyes. 'Him saved your life, my love. I am not going to leave his body to that monster.'  
Jack gave no further counsel, but held out his precious sword to his descendant.  
After gathering their bearings, the Utoniums set off on the hunt, Jack waving farewell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's Easter Sunday here, and this is the chapter with the resurrection in it. Serendipity is fun lol.


	9. Chapter 9

The pursuit resulted in a long flight north to Mount Rainier. As Jack had advised, Aku instinctively sought out a subterranean, volcanic environment to rest and heal himself.   
  
The family entered a cave near the summit, and were enclosed in complete blackness. Intermittent roars of deep torment filled the void, the echoes ghostly. While the family stumbled helplessly to begin with, the Professor unsheathed Jack’s sword. It cut through the dark like a torch. The family's circulatory systems were made visible in this light. Blossom’s heart was tinged cherry blossom pink – the remnants of Him’s life force.  
  
'It’s useless! We can’t beat this thing!' Buttercup said. 'The legend said that the Imagawa prince was the only one who can kill Aku!'  
'What about Professor?' Bubbles indicated their father. His face was set in a heavy frown.  
'Girls, there is something that I never told you... there was an extra ingredient to the little girl formula. One which I kept secret, to ensure no-one could copy it correctly.'  
'Your blood is within us,' Blossom said.  
  
The Professor was stunned. After a moment’s reflection: 'I wanted a daughter I could truly call my own. Yes. I added my own blood to the formula. And ultimately I was blessed thrice. You girls are a part of the Imagawa line. I know you can beat him.'  
  
Together they navigated the treacherous caverns, the sword serving as their beacon.  
'What are we looking for exactly?' Buttercup asked. 'He just seemed to have turned himself into that stupid black mist!'  
'He must have a heart of some kind…' Blossom mused.  
'And he must be hiding Him somewhere…' her father said.  
'LOOKING FOR THIS?' Rasped a thin, pitiless voice.  
  
Up ahead, high above an underground lake, Him’s lifeless body floated eerily in the still cave air.  
'Him!' Utonium raced towards the captive, leaping frantically over jagged rock. He was suddenly set upon by a cloud of enormous, deformed bats, all with flaming eyes and black horns.  
'Remember what Jack taught you!' Blossom called.  
  
He swung the sword at the bats, his imperfect technique not impeding the force of his blows. Buttercup and Bubbles joined him in battle.  
However, a strange heat began to glow behind Blossom. A red light, deep down a crevasse. It dulled her faculties and drew her towards it, its pull invincible. Her higher loyalties ached to join her family, but some ineffable, instinctual impulse tugged her downward.  
  
***  
  
The buzz of agitated conversation filled the city streets. The recovered citizens stood in disordered clumps, speculating wildly about what had transpired, and the strange monster that had been defeated. On one street corner, Mojo Jojo shared his rambling conjectures with a bevvy of discomfited office workers.  
Amongst them, unregarded, a lone warrior made his way to Bonsai Gardens Park. Within the park gates, the city noise have way to the hush of plantlife, rustling in the nocturnal breeze.  
  
Despite the miraculous turn of events that he'd just witnessed, Jack still harboured fear. He journeyed down the winding gravel pathways, past pine and cherry tree. As he registered the crisp green smell of the evening, his mind was far away. Every feeling was with his beleagured progeny, in the gloom of a mountain cave.  
Once he reached the still banks of the garden lake, he sat down, closed his eyes, and began to still his unsettled thoughts.  
  
***  
  
Bubbles and Buttercup were taking out the demonic bats one by one, but they just kept coming. Aku clearly still had some fight left in him.  
  
The sword whistled through the air, missing each and every one of its targets. This was not the controlled, steady realm of training. The bats' claws stung, their violent swoops threw off his focus, and panic had quickly taken hold. The Professor dealt a few disjointed, unsteady blows between attempts to shield himself from the monsters, until one of them knocked him off his feet.   
  
The bats lost interest, turning their aggression on the exhausted Bubbles and Buttercup. The Professor lay prone on the rockface, dazed and sore and hopeless. The sound of his daughters struggling to fight off the monsters wrenched his insides, and he hated himself.  
  
'Ah... we meet again, warrior,' came a sudden, wispy voice.  
He sat up, his head throbbing. He tried and failed to locate the source of the greeting.  
'Do you not recall? I aided you in a time long past. It appears you have weaved quite the path for yourself.' The kind, ageless voice seemed to be close, right beside his ear.  
He felt a gossamer-light pressure on his shoulder. He turned to behold a spindly cave spider resting there, all eight of its beady eyes pale and blind.  
  
'We met in this very cave,' she stated, 'when you were in need of my help.'  
'I-I... you must be mistaken...' he found himself responding. 'That couldn't have been me.'  
'I would know you anywhere, child. You carry the same courage, the same heartache. You may inhabit a different skin, but it is you, warrior.'  
  
***  
  
Hundreds of miles away, the warrior sat dreaming by a garden lake. The tranquil void of meditation slowly transmuted into a vision.  
Now, the warrior lay upon dark igneous rock, in the heart of a mountain. His despair for his lover and concern for his children melded sharply with his joy, as he was reunited with an old friend.  
  
***  
  
'I must rescue my girls,' he told the spider, 'and I must retrieve my beloved's body from the beast. You helped me once, I must ask for your help again.'  
'I will lend you my faith, but you already have all the strength you need. Go forth, warrior.'  
The Professor got to his feet, picked up Jack's sword, and charged toward the demon bats.  
  
The monsters were distracted, dealing strikes at Bubbles and Buttercup. They did not see the flash of the blade coming.  
His nerves sang and his muscles seared, as he and the sword acted together, vanquishing his enemies. Instinct and skill drove him. He intercepted the swipe of claws and the strike of leathery wings. The sword sliced and ran through each foe. No space was left open for retaliation. Just as one bat was felled, the Professor brandished the sword to take out another.  
  
The girls could not get another blow into the monsters. Their father's quick, expert chain of attacks had the bats dropping around them. He moved with a power and agility they had never seen before, leaping from rock to rock to pursue his now terrified enemies.  
Bubbles took notice of the cave spider perched delicately on her father's arm, never thown off by the man's rapid movements.  
  
And the clamour of the battle died away, as the last bat fell into the lake with a heavy splash.  
The Professor, gasping for breath, collapsed in a heap where he stood.  
Far away, the warrior opened his eyes, offering a silent prayer of thanks to the witch.  
  
'Professor!' Bubbles called, rushing to his side. The cave spider that had been sitting on his arm was nowhere to be seen.  
She slapped her father's cheek gently, and his eyes slowly opened.  
'It's okay,' she said, 'you did great! You beat all the bad guys, just like a real samurai!'  
'Professor...' Buttercup's voice was shaky.  
  
She floated slowly down towards her family, holding Him's cold body in her arms. With eyes full of unreleased tears, she handed the imp to her father, careful and solemn.  
He pressed the beautiful, wilted form close, and bestowed a fond gaze upon his daughters.  
'Where is Blossom?' he asked them.  
  
***  
  
Blossom sank further down into the pit, towards the furious red gleam.   
At its bottom lay a sea of boiling lava. Mesmerised by its force, she entered it, until she was fully submerged in the miasma of intense heat.  
  
She could see very little at first – then a chorus of agonised screeches assaulted her ears, the root of the menacing sound the family had heard at the mouth of the cave.   
Her heart began to race, and the howling grew louder and more horrendous. She whimpered, and the whole mountain rumbled. She screamed, and the lava began to surge and rise. The volcano was about to erupt.  
  
All around her, the lava raged. Suddenly her anger rose at the beast – the lava would wipe out great swathes of cities, towns, wilderness, and even her own family for his malice.   
The heat continued to intensify, her superhuman form almost scorched by the now white-hot temperature of the current. She cried out in pain. The fate of all she held dear lay heavy and twisting in her core.  
  
Her initial, reflexive waves of horror subsided a little. Strangely, the lava surrounding her cooled along with them. The rushing current slowed.   
She reined in her panic to observe her surroundings, and likewise, the lava’s progression slowed further. The more she managed to settle her emotions, the more the lava receded.  
It mirrored every feeling in her heart.  
  
Evenly, deliberately, she rose out of the gurgling torrent. In the burning air, she sat in a lotus position and stilled her mind, soothed her heart. The very molecules in the atmosphere shifted; once seething and mad, they were eventually settled to a tentative equilibrium.  
  
After a few long minutes, once she felt that the mountain was out of danger, she rushed to join her family. Distant slivers of natural evening light now found her in the deep crevasse, guiding her way back.  
The family, reunited, left the mountain. The last tendrils of black smoke escaped from its caverns, and dissipated to nothing.  
  
***  
  
Some were afraid that the hideous horned beast would one day return. The gossip of the townspeople now took an interesting turn, invigorated by talk of a volcanic eruption up north, completely stopped in its tracks.  
  
From his place in the crowd, Mojo spotted the Utonium family returning home, bearing the body of Him with them. He fell silent.  
  
They huddled in a circle on their lawn. Jack, reunited with his sword, watched over them. The Professor gently held the crown of Him’s hallowed head in his hands.  
'He deserves a proper send-off.'  
'That shall be inevitable,' Jack said. 'Look.'  
The slender, graceful hands that had been revealed only hours before were growing faint. At length, they vanished, followed by arms, feet, legs. Like seafoam, Him’s form diffused, into the ether.  
  
***  
  
'He's still there,' Blossom announced over breakfast, 'sleeping in the mountain.'  
'No!' Buttercup cried, 'he can't be, we got him!'  
'What did he do?' Jack asked her.  
  
Blossom took a deep breath. 'He was in a great deal of pain. He wanted to lash out. But I calmed myself down, and he seemed to calm down, too. I think he fell asleep.'  
All around the table stared at her, agape.  
'I don't think he will wake up for a long time. And when he does, he won't wake up here.'  
'You truly are Imagawa,' Jack responded. 'After all his menacing and his threats, ultimately, he is at your mercy. He will not forget that.'  
Blossom gave him a sombre smile. 'I am my father's daughter.'  
  
'But,' Bubbles spoke up, 'when he wakes up, he could go on to hurt other people!'  
Something heavy sank upon Jack's shoulders. 'Then I still have a duty to finish.'  
  
***  
  
The Professor turned a number of dials, and a piercing white noise sprung forth from the time portal.  
'This thing has never been quite the same since Mojo messed with it. I've made several attempts to re-calibrate it, but its performance is still wildly unpredictable. Are you sure you want to accept the risk?'  
Jack met the Professor's eyes. 'It is the best chance I have.'  
A pang of realisation hit them both. Soon, Jack would part with his newfound kinsfolk, probably forever.   
'Then let's hope it will take you the place that you most need to be.'  
  
A few further adjustments to the machine were needed, which took some hours to complete.   
Michiko weighed Jack down with a large box of freshly made onigiri. Buttercup added to this a generous handful of brightly wrapped candy. Bubbles shyly offered Jack a plush, fluffy toy rabbit.  
'For luck,' she said.  
Blossom looked up at her ancestor. She could not find any words, so she bowed to him. He returned the gesture with a full heart.  
'Please take care of our family,' he told her. 'They are in need of a princess' strength.'  
Loving him, she defied decorum, and wrapped her arms around him. A tiny kiss was planted on his cheek.  
'I'll miss you.'  
  
Another bow was shared between Jack and the Professor. The two men looked their last upon each other, their faces identical with sad resilience.  
'Sayounara.'  
Jack stepped into the portal's frame, dissolving in a storm of black and white.  
  
***  
  
The Utonium household promptly settled back into its usual routine. The girls were tucked into bed at the same time each night, with three gentle kisses. As the Professor helped Blossom with her pyjamas, it was impossible to ignore the fresh pink scar that rested over her heart.  
And then, much like his ancestor before him, he would take to wandering.  
  
The first night, he walked all the way from Pokey Oaks to central Townsville. He reached the corner of Lincoln and Main. Unlike the buildings around it, which were intact and unspoiled, the Otto Time Diner was still a charred wreck. The city council had wasted no time in erecting a chain link fence around it.  
  
The second night, he roamed the sculpted pathways of Bonsai Gardens Park. He had spent many a happy boyhood afternoon here, catching bugs and poring through science magazines, splayed lazily on the grass. The pine trees now loomed over him, casting shadows with their lank, jagged branches.  
  
The third night, heavy with wakefulness, he reached the outskirts of the city.  
He passed through the dank, graffitied underpass of a motorway. The dull, mechanical rhythm of his feet thudding on pavement soon gave way to the brushing of long, spindly green grass. The dusty open land melded into wilderness. The edge of a national park lurked beyond.   
And still, John Utonium could not flee from the weight in his gut or the miserable, pressing vacuum in his chest.  
  
The air was fresh and dewy. He almost wanted to stay out here forever in this untainted meadow. But his physical fatigue, and the telltale streak of soft pink hugging the horizon, insisted that he return home to his empty bed - despite the fact that sleep remained an unbearable prospect.  
  
He caught the scent of myrtle and wild roses, blooming leisurely at the first advance of daylight. Tiny ladybugs hovered about the fragrant flowers.   
Allowing himself one last moment in this small patch of Arcadia, he turned his back on the distant city to watch the stars, one by one, blinking their last in the dwindling night.  
  
Venus, the morning star, continued blazing bright.   
  
**THE END**


End file.
